HRSA Begins its Global AIDS Program

In 2003, HRSA’s HIV/AIDS Bureau took a major step to broaden its mission by establishing a Global AIDS Program. The program’s purpose is to provide access to knowledge and resources for those fighting HIV/AIDS in the developing world.

The HRSA Global AIDS Program was established through cooperation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Announced by President George W. Bush during his 2003 State of the Union address, PEPFAR marked the largest commitment by any nation for an international health initiative dedicated to a single disease: $15 billion over a 5-year period. The United States now leads the world in its level of support in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

But the story of the HRSA Global AIDS Program is about much more than funding. It’s about sharing HRSA “know how” gained through years of providing HIV/AIDS health care, training, and technical assistance through the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program. It is also about partnerships and coordination of programs across U.S. Government departments—and across the world.

With the collaboration of HAB’s International AIDS Education Center (I-TECH), the CDC, and the U.S. Agency for International Development, HRSA’s Global AIDS Program is helping international, national, and local leaders worldwide. Together, they support integrated prevention, treatment, and care programs to improve HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria services.