Pascrell, Sayegh Announce $817K Federal Grant to Combat HIV Epidemic in Paterson

PATERSON, NJ – U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09) announced today that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded $817,544 to Paterson to help the city combat HIV. The grant will aid low-income individuals and families by enhancing access to care and providing direct financial assistance to areas most severely affected by the virus that causes AIDS.

“This grant will help the City of Paterson combat the devastating HIV epidemic that has plagued our community for decades,” said Rep. Pascrell, a former Paterson mayor and former member of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health. “This grant will directly assist our citizens in need of treatment. Federal funding is essential to our community, as it will ensure that people living with HIV and AIDS have access to the care they need to continue treatment so they can lead healthy and productive lives. As long as I’m in the Congress, I will continue to work with federal agencies to secure life-saving federal support like this for our diverse cities and towns.”

“I am thankful to Congressman Pascrell for securing this grant extension for the City of Paterson,” said Mayor Andre Sayegh. “A goal of mine as mayor is to improve health quality and quantity for Patersonians. HIV is a long standing epidemic and this grant will allow us to continue the essential work of assisting our residents affected by HIV.”

Today’s announcement is the latest in Rep. Pascrell’s efforts to secure critical health care funding for New Jersey’s Ninth Congressional District. Over 37,000 people are living with HIV or AIDS in New Jersey, which ranks among the highest in the nation for overall cumulative HIV cases. Rep. Pascrell leads the annual federal appropriations request for HIV/AIDS funding of the Ryan White Program, the HIV prevention programs at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and AIDS research at the National Institutes of Health. While Mayor of Paterson, Pascrell served as chairman of the Paterson-Passaic-Bergen HIV Planning Council during the early years of the Ryan White Program, which works with cities, states, and local community-based organizations to provide HIV-related services to more than a half a million people each year.

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