Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the HIV Health Services Planning Council?
The San Francisco HIV Health Services Planning Council is a community planning group that oversees the prioritization and allocation of.federal Ryan White Part A, Part B and Minority AIDS Initiative (MAI) funds allocated to the San Francisco Eligible Metropolitan Area (EMA) which includes San Francisco, Marin and San Mateo counties. It is also called the CARE Council or Ryan White Council.
- What does the Council do?
The Council has several major duties, including:- determining the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS, especially those not in care;
- setting priorities for the allocation of funds;
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- determining the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS, especially those not in care;
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- determining the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS, especially those not in care;
- setting priorities for the allocation of funds;
- developing a comprehensive plan for the organization and delivery of health services; and
- assessing the efficiency of the grant administration and the effectiveness of services.
The Council is also responsible for ensuring that services are coordinated with prevention and substance abuse treatment. The Council has a mandate to focus on people who are not in care (i.e. not receiving medical care) by assessing their needs and developing programs to bring them into care. The Council takes on additional projects as needed or required.
- determining the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS, especially those not in care;
- setting priorities for the allocation of funds;
- developing a comprehensive plan for the organization and delivery of health services; and
- assessing the efficiency of the grant administration and the effectiveness of services.
- When and where does it meet?
The full Council meets on the fourth Monday of every month in Bayanihan Center, 1010 Mission Street (at Sixth St. and Mission St.), Barangay Hall, from 4:30 to 7:30pm. It may schedule additional meetings as needed. Each committee usually meets once a month. The standing committees are Consumer and Minority Affairs Committee, Government and Provider Affairs Committee, Membership Committee, Points of Integration Committee (a joint committee of the HIV Health Services Planning Council and the HIV Prevention Council), and Steering Committee. The Council creates ad hoc work groups to address short-term projects. Meeting dates and times are subject to change. For current meeting information, please visit our calendar.
- How does one find out about Council meeting times and agendas?
The Planning Council has a website, www.sfcarecouncil.org, which includes upcoming Council meeting times and agendas, committee meeting times, agendas, and locations, and minutes from Full Council and committee meetings. It links to documents such as the Three Year Comprehensive Plan and other useful Council information. Planning Council meeting times and agendas are also posted to the Council’s Yahoo Group email list . - How does one contact Council members or staff?
The Planning Council's Administrative Office can be reached by phone at (415) 674-4768 or by mail to 730 Polk Street, 3rd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94109. The fax number is (415) 674-0373. Council members and co-chairs can be reached through the Administrative Office. - Who is on the Council?
There are forty seats on the Council. The federal legislation prescribes a number of areas of representation such as people living with HIV, community-based organizations, housing providers, and medical providers. It also specifies that organizations funded under other parts of the CARE Act, such as Part C and D, and other federal programs, such as HOPWA, be represented. The membership must reflect the demographics of the epidemic in the EMA. The members of the Council represent the broad range of people involved in the fight against AIDS in San Francisco, San Mateo, and Marin counties. - Are people with HIV/AIDS on the Council?
The legislation mandates that at least 33% of Council members be unaffiliated consumers of CARE services and that they reflect the demographics of the epidemic. An unaffiliated consumer”- is a consumer of Ryan White Services that is neither employed by an organization receiving Ryan White funds nor is a member of a Board of Directors of an organization receiving Ryan White funds. In addition to the legislative requirement, the San Francisco HIV Health Services Council mandates itself to have a majority of Council members be people living with HIV/AIDS. In addition, at least one Council co-chair must be a person living with HIV who is a consumer of services. - How does one join the Council?
Membership application forms are available from Council staff and on the Council web site. The Membership Committee reviews applications and interviews potential applicants on an on-going basis. The Membership Committee selects nominees and forwards names to the Full Council. The Council votes on the applicants, and the names are forwarded to the Mayor for appointment. The Membership Committee strongly recommends that persons thinking about applying to the Council attend several Full Council or committee meetings before applying for membership. Attendance at a full Planning Council meeting is required to be considered for an interview. - Who appoints the members?
All members are appointed by the Chief Elected Official (CEO) of the EMA, in accordance with the legislation. The CEO is the Mayor of San Francisco. - What is the term of office?
Council members are appointed for a two-year term. Members can re-apply for additional two-year terms, as long as they are members in good standing with the Council. Council members must meet the meeting attendance requirements to stay in good standing. - Can one participate without becoming a member?
As per the Brown Act and the Sunshine Ordinance, all Council meetings and committee meetings are open to the public. Public comment is taken at the beginning of each full Council meeting and during the meeting on each agenda item. Members of the public are often able to participate in the discussions at committee and work group meetings. The Council also holds community events throughout the year to gather input from specific communities or neighborhoods. - How long has the Council been meeting?
The Council was first created in 1990 and continues to meet on a regular basis. - What area does it cover?
The Council covers the San Francisco Eligible Metropolitan Area or EMA, which includes San Francisco, San Mateo, and Marin Counties. The money is allocated between the three counties based on the proportion of living AIDS cases in each county. San Mateo and Marin have local planning groups that help set priorities and determine allocations within each county. - What is the Ryan White CARE Act?
The current legislation- the Ryan White Treatment Extension Act of 2009 is federal legislation originally passed in 1990 and reauthorized in 1995, 2000, 2006 and 2009. It authorizes spending federal dollars for HIV health services through five different parts.. It helps support a comprehensive continuum of HIV health services for low-income people living with HIV. The current Ryan White legislation is authorized through FY 2013.
What is Part A?
Part A of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program provides emergency assistance to Eligible Metropolitan Areas (EMAs) and Transitional Grant Areas (TGAs) which are urban / suburban areas that are most severely affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
What is Part B?
Part B of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Modernization Act provides grants to all 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and 5 U.S. Pacific Territories or Associated Jurisdictions. Part B grants include a base grant, the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) award, ADAP supplemental grants and grants to States for Emerging Communities - those reporting between 500 and 999 cumulative reported AIDS cases over the most recent 5 years.
What are the Parts of Ryan White programs?
In addition to Parts A and B, the Ryan White legislation includes Parts C, D, F and Minority AIDS Initiative funding.
- Who administers the programs?
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) administers the programs on the federal level. They are a part of Health and Human Services (HHS). On the local level the HIV Health Services section of the Department of Public Health (DPH) administers the funds. DPH is the grantee for Part A and the state’s allocation to the jurisdiction for Part B. - How much money does San Francisco get?
For fiscal year (FY) 2008-2009, the San Francisco EMA was awarded $26,270,880 in Part A funding. Since 1991 San Francisco has received approximately $500 million for services for people living with HIV/AIDS.
- What determines how much money San Francisco gets?
Congress appropriates the funding for the Ryan White programs each year. Two-thirds of the money for Part A is distributed through a formula developed by the CDC to estimate the number of people living with HIV/AIDS. The other one-third is allocated through a competitive grant proposal process, often called the supplemental process. - What is it used for?
Ryan White funds pay for primary medical care, dental care, home health care, housing, food, substance abuse treatment, mental health care, case management, peer advocacy, treatment advocacy, legal assistance, benefits counseling, money management, respite child care, adult day health care, outreach, and adherence support. It also pays for Planning Council staff and activities such as needs assessment, evaluation, and comprehensive planning. Under Ryan White legislation, the Planning Council must allocate at least 75% of the funds to “Core” Medical Services. Eleven percent of funds are directed to San Mateo and Marin Counties for services for their residents. Up to ten-percent of the funding goes to the Department of Public Health to administer the grant, including contract development and monitoring, Planning Council Support and a small portion of the funding is set aside for quality management programs.
- Are there things that the funds can't be used for?
Yes. It must be used as the payor of last resort, meaning that if a service can be paid for somewhere else, such as billed to Medi-Cal, it cannot be paid for by Ryan White . Money also cannot be given directly to consumers. There are a number of restrictions on the use of funds for housing and prevention.
- Who can get services?
Ryan White services are for people living with HIV/AIDS who are low income and uninsured or underinsured. Some services are also available to the family members of people living with HIV/AIDS. Programs or agencies may have additional eligibility criteria, such as disability. Clients also must be a resident of the county where the service is located to receive Ryan White-funded services. Ryan White services are prioritized for those with the most severe needs, such as those who have incomes below 150% of poverty homeless have multiple diagnoses.
- Where are Ryan White services available?
Ryan White services are available at several locations throughout the city and county of San Francisco and in Marin and San Mateo Counties. For a full inventory of Ryan White services in the EMA, visit our Supporting Documents page on our website and click on: Inventory of HIV Service Agencies and Resources.
Part C funds comprehensive primary health care in an outpatient setting for people living with HIV disease.
Part D funds programs for services to women, infants, children, youth and families and provides family-centered care involving outpatient or ambulatory care (directly or through contracts) for women, infants, children, and youth with HIV/AIDS. Grantees are expected to provide primary medical care, treatment, and support services to improve access to health care.
Part F has three components: 1) The Special Projects of National Significance (SPNS) Program advances knowledge and skills in the delivery of health and support services to underserved populations diagnosed with HIV infection. SPNS grants fund innovative models of care and support the development of effective delivery systems for HIV care. 2) The AIDS Education and Training Centers (AETC) Program of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program supports a network of 11 regional centers (and more than 130 local associated sites) that conduct targeted, multidisciplinary education and training programs for health care providers treating people living with HIV/AIDS. The AETCs serve all 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and the 6 U.S. Pacific Jurisdictions. 3) Dental Programs (all Parts of Ryan White can fund dental services) under Part D specifically focus on funding the Dental Reimbursement Program (DRP) and the Community-Based Dental Partnership Program (CBDPP).
Minority AIDS Initiative grants provide funding to evaluate and address the disproportionate impact of HIV/AIDS on women and minorities.
Who does Ryan White serve?
Over 10,000 people received CARE-funded services in the EMA in 2008. Compared to the demographics of all people living with HIV/AIDS, CARE clients are disproportionately poor, people of color, and women.