Reported plan to curtail federal funds for HIV prevention alarms provider
Vivent Health conducts tests for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. Federal funds that cover the cost of those tests and other HIV prevention services are being considered for drastic reductions. (Photo courtesy of Vivent Health)
Wisconsin stands to lose at least $1.2 million a year to help prevent the spread of HIV if the federal government follows through on reported plans to drastically cut HIV prevention.
The Wall Street Journal reported this week that the administration of President Donald Trump was planning sharp reductions at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Division of HIV Prevention housed there.
The U.S. spends about $1.3 billion annually on HIV prevention. That includes just over $1.2 million that goes to the Wisconsin division of Vivent Health, a multistate nonprofit specializing in care for people who have HIV or are at risk of being infected.
Vivent Health's federal HIV prevention grant comes through the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. A department spokesperson said the agency could not provide the total it receives each year in federal HIV prevention funds by the end of the day Thursday.
At Vivent, the money has helped reach tens of thousands of people across the state to help them avoid infection with the human immunodeficiency virus, said Bill Keeton, Vivent's vice president and chief advocacy officer.
The funds are used for outreach to people who are vulnerable for HIV, he said. They cover the costs of testing for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. They also cover services to help people who are candidates for medication that can prevent HIV infection as well as medication after being exposed to the virus.
'We do thousands of tests a year throughout the state,' said Keeton. Vivent has 10 clinics around in Wisconsin and additional mobile clinics for outreach to people who use drugs. Drug use can heighten the risk of transmitting HIV, he said.
In addition, HIV prevention funds cover condom distribution and other methods of harm reduction, Keeton said, along with education to help people learn how to use condoms properly and other ways to protect themselves from HIV infection.
'These are services and programs that are designed to reach out and provide education, testing and resources designed to prevent HIV from occurring,' Keeton said. 'These dollars that we get from the federal government comprise the lion's share of the resources we get to do this work.'
In 2024, Vivent in Wisconsin provided 2,200 HIV tests, about half that number for Hepatitis C and nearly 1,900 for other primary sexually transmitted infections. The organization distributed 300,000 condoms and 2.7 million clean syringes for drug users.
American taxpayers and health care consumers will bear the brunt of these shortsighted policy changes.
– Bill Keeton, vice president and chief advocacy officer at Vivent Health
Vivent assisted 369 people with navigating the decision to use pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, daily medication to ward off the HIV virus in a person who is not already infected. Vivent has 678 patients in Wisconsin using PrEP.
The CDC has reported HIV infections have fallen by 12% nationally, from 36,300 in 2018 to 31,800 in 2022. Cutting off prevention funds could reverse that trend, Keeton said, and would be a setback to efforts to end HIV — an objective that has been embraced by the last three presidential administrations, including Trump's in his first term.
'New diagnoses will increase,' Keeton said. 'New transmissions will occur — unfortunately, that means people will take on $500,000 in lifetime health care costs managing their HIV.'
People will get sick, deaths will increase along with the difficulty of managing chronic illness that would otherwise be avoidable, he said, along with increasing health costs.
'American taxpayers and health care consumers will bear the brunt of these shortsighted policy changes,' Keeton said.
With continued support, however, those outcomes can be avoided. 'We have the tools, we have the science, we have the interventions that can work to end HIV,' he said. 'What we lack is the resources.'
Keeton told the Wisconsin Examiner that Vivent and other providers of HIV-related care started getting word earlier this week that the HIV prevention division was 'getting a lot of attention' in the White House.
He acknowledged that replacing the federal money would be a challenge given the $1 billion price tag it would carry nationally. Other organizations involved in HIV health care and advocacy are looking at mounting a court challenge if the Trump administration follows through on the proposal to cut the prevention programs.
For now, however, Vivent's focus is on heading off the potential cuts. Keeton said the organization is advocating with members of Congress and encouraging them to 'weigh in with the administration' to keep prevention programs funded.
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