North Texas organizations that help people with HIV/AIDS are facing cuts in federal funding at the same time that they're bracing for a rush of new clients from rural areas.
The closure Wednesday of AIDS Resources of Rural Texas, which operated centers in Weatherford and Abilene, was expected to drive many of its 350 clients into Tarrant County for help.Those agencies say they are already dealing with a reduction of federal funds received this year under the Ryan White CARE Act, which provides HIV-related services for people without sufficient healthcare coverage or financial resources.The AIDS Outreach Center in Fort Worth, for example, has already reduced its case managers from seven to four and is scaling back its food pantry, officials there say. The nonprofit agency serves about 1,800 clients."We're trying to come up with a different system for how we will get everyone's needs met," said Shannon Hilgart, associate executive director. "It's a little chaotic, and I think there is probably some fear among clients about what services will be there for them."The funding changes were difficult to plan for because of repeated delays in the government's awarding of the money, said Randy Parsons, chairman for the North Central Texas HIV Planning Council. Ryan White CARE Act money for the 38-county region is administered by Tarrant County Public Health. The planning counsel advises the health department on best uses for the money.The funding contracts started March 1, but the money was awarded "piecemeal" because the federal government made mistakes in algorithms used in the process, said Margie Drake, grant manager for the health department. The last award was received Monday, and the total amount is about $185,000 less than the Fort Worth area received last year.Originally, it seemed that the Fort Worth area would lose more than $500,000, so the true loss is "not as bad, but still bad," Parsons said. Services most affected by the cuts include food pantries, transportation assistance, day-care programs and nonmedical case management.Jamie Schield, planning coordinator for the council, said: "We ask our agencies to work in good faith that money will be coming ... and then when the money rolls to us later on and is less than we thought, it is pretty challenging."Ryan White CARE Act funding has been steadily reduced since 2006, Schield said.Rural program closesCompounding the funding loss is the closure of AIDS Resources of Rural Texas, which had operated for 18 years and received $390,000 in Ryan White CARE Act funding this year. The government has not indicated that it will fund other agencies that take on those displaced clients, officials said. Next year's grant application shows no money available to help people in the Weatherford area.Because there are few agencies to assist HIV/AIDS patients in rural areas, many of the 350 displaced clients will wind up in Tarrant County, and some already have, said David Mack Henderson, also with the planning counsel. As many as 250 do not have health insurance or access to Medicaid."Tarrant County could take a huge financial hit," he said. "Not only do the new clients suffer, but so does the client already receiving service here. There is less for everyone."The Fort Worth City Council recently added $136,763 to its contract with the AIDS Outreach Center to provide short-term rent, utilities and mortgage assistance to people with HIV/AIDS in Tarrant, Parker, Johnson and Hood counties.That was helpful, but that money is for a different program and won't account for other lost services, Henderson said.'I worry about them'At the AIDS Outreach Center this week, staffers planned to save money by reducing the amount of meat and other more costly items available to clients at its food pantry. A center dietitian plans a healthy diet for each client.Case manager Su Harz, who works with women and children, said she knows that the reduction in case managers means she will have to spend less time with some clients. Case managers help clients with everything from finances to navigating hospital bureaucracies to finding other social-service programs that can help them."The hardest thing will be saying 'no' to a client," she said. "I worry about them all."Alex Branch, 817-390-7689Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
