Prevention initiatives could stop spread of AIDS

Every year, nearly 300 more HIV infections are identified in Minnesota, adding $120 million in annual medical costs to the state, Rep. Tina Liebling (DFL-Rochester) told the House Health and Human Services Finance Committee Wednesday.

Those costs could be limited by investing in prevention during the 2018-19 biennium, she said.

“I know that HIV isn’t always the most popular cause,” she said. “But … there are things we can be doing in this area and now is the time.”

HF1758, sponsored by Liebling, would provide $2 million over the biennium to provide grants that would support the prevention initiatives of nonprofits – especially those focused on high-risk individuals and underserved communities, advocates said.

It was held over for possible omnibus bill inclusion. Its companion, SF1469, sponsored by Sen. Jeff Hayden (DFL-Mpls), awaits action by the Senate Health and Human Services Finance and Policy Committee.

WATCH Committee discussion of the bill on YouTube

Dramatic progress has been made in the treatment of AIDS, improving the quality and length of life for people with the disease – but similar advancements in prevention have been limited by a lack of resources, said Matt Toburen, public policy director of the Minnesota AIDS Project.

State funding has remained “flat” since the late 1990s and federal funding for prevention initiatives has dropped 40 percent over the last five years. While $1 million a year isn’t sufficient to completely eliminate HIV in Minnesota, it would serve as a vital first step in meeting that goal, he said.

“With proven prevention strategies … and targeted interventions with HIV-positive individuals who are out of care, we now have the necessary tools to stop and ultimately reverse the epidemic,” Toburen said. “We have the know-how, tools and ability to close these gaps. What we lack are the resources.”

An estimated 1,100 Minnesotans are HIV positive, but don’t know it, and nearly 40 percent of all Minnesotans with HIV are not currently in treatment. Connecting these people to services and treatment could significantly limit the number of new infections in the state, he said.