Florida Democrats have joined forces to announce funding to fight HIV in Orange County.
The announcement from Florida Reps. Stephanie Murphy (D), Val Demings (D), and Darren Soto (D) is for a $3.5 million federal grant that will “help ensure that residents living with HIV/AIDS can access medical care and critical support services.” The announcement also comes at a time when the FDA has approved the first injection regimen for HIV prevention.
According to the CDC, this past year saw over 3,000 new cases of HIV in the Sunshine State.
The Florida lawmakers announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services would be awarding Orange County more than $3.5 million to help combat HIV.
Rep. Murphy praised the funding, expressing that “while our local medical professionals are doing incredible work to fight this epidemic, more funding is needed for treatments and support services.”
Demings added that the money will go ‘to ensure that our HIV-positive neighbors and loved ones here in Central Florida will have access to modern, effective treatments,” adding that “as we work to end AIDS in America, this is an important step to ensure the health, safety, and dignity of all people.”
Soto also shared that “these funds will allow the county to provide optimal care to underserved members of our community and maximize their health outcomes.”
It is reported that “the Orlando metro area is among the top three cities in the country for new cases of HIV.”
The money is provided through the HHS’s Ryan White HIV Emergency Relief program. The program “provides direct financial assistance to communities that have been most severely affected by the HIV epidemic.”
Rep. Murphy most recently announced that she would not be seeking reelection, and Rep. Demings is currently vying to unseat Florida Senator Marco Rubio (R).
