HIV Support and Community Health

Honoring the End of a Vital Program.

Since becoming a part of HCHC in 2017, HCHC Care Management has been providing high-quality, personalized support to those in the Central Shenandoah Valley living with HIV. Addressing the complex challenges faced by these individuals every day requires collaboration beyond medicine alone, and our dedicated Care Management team has always understood this well. With compassion and determination, they have worked seamlessly with HCHC’s team of providers and support staff to provide comprehensive, holistic, and expert care that helps their clients not just survive with their chronic disease but thrive.

The Care Management team has been assisting 140 low-income clients to ensure access to affordable treatments and medications, adequate housing, transportation to medical appointments, and nutritious food to manage their chronic disease, working towards better health and self-sufficiency. In addition to individualized support, they have also provided free HIV/AIDS testing, education, and other resources for our community. This valuable work was only made possible by grant funding through the Ryan White Program.

It is with heavy hearts that HCHC has been forced to make the difficult decision to close HCHC Care Management, effective May 16, 2025.

HCHC’s Ryan White annual grant cycle ended on March 31 and was ultimately not renewed due to the loss of federal funding. Simply put, we cannot sustain the program and the lifesaving, life-giving support provided through it without that funding. Unfortunately, HCHC is not alone. We are one of many agencies across Virginia dealing with this loss, significantly cutting the availability of HIV/AIDS support programs across the state.

We were surprised and disappointed by this recent news, yet remain incredibly proud of our Care Management team and their tireless work over the years. The excellence of their program and approach to HIV/AIDS care management has not just been recognized by us but has also been commended at the state level and viewed as best practice for other similar programs to follow. Beyond that, and most importantly, the team walked side-by-side with each of their 140 clients, helping them all achieve viral suppression of their HIV. This allows them to live longer, healthier lives, prevents the spread of HIV, and supports public efforts to end the AIDS epidemic.

While it can be easy to view HIV/AIDS and many other chronic diseases as something that happens to other people, the truth is that we all can be and are impacted; a community is only as strong as its most vulnerable member. That’s why working together as a community to ensure that each member has access to affordable medications, basic necessities, and services to support getting and staying well is so important. For those with HIV, that access means the opportunity to live a normal life, protecting those around them from contracting the virus, and getting one step closer to an AIDS-free future generation.

To our Care Management team, thank you for all that you’ve done and the impact you’ve made in the Valley.

To our community, know that, despite this loss, HCHC has been and will continue to be dedicated to our mission to provide patient-centered healthcare that is accessible and affordable to all. There are many questions that we do not yet have answers to, but, as always, our team is working diligently, staying connected, and seeking collaborations to serve our community well. We will provide appropriate updates as they become available.

For assistance with HIV/AIDS medication access or related support, please contact the Virginia Medication Assistance Program at 855-362-0658.