By Sherry Jacobson
The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS — A Dallas AIDS service organization was awarded a $1.75 million grant by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that will focus on the release of Texas prisoners who have HIV/AIDS.
Dr. John Carlo, chief executive officer of AIDS Arms Inc., said the five-year grant will attempt to link returning local prisoners with Dallas-area medical providers.
The effort also will involve contacting the returning inmates’ sexual partners and social networks in hopes of preventing HIV transmission.
According to the CDC, about 1 out of 7 people living with HIV in the United States pass through a correctional facility every year. The majority were infected prior to their incarceration.
Carlo said the CDC grant was critical for Dallas, which has the highest rate of new HIV infections in the state. About 700 new cases are diagnosed annually.
AIDS Arms provides a variety of services for people living with HIV and AIDS, including medical care, case management, prevention services, medication assistance, and substance abuse and mental health services.
The Dallas-based agency opened in 1986 and has become the largest local nonprofit HIV/AIDS service organization in North Texas.