HHS awards Ryan White grants to cities hit hard by AIDS

Health and Human Services secretary Tommy Thompson has announced $600 million in federal grants to 51 U.S. cities hit hardest by AIDS, Reuters Health reports. The grants, issued under Title I of the Ryan White Act, are earmarked for primary care and support services for low-income HIV-positive people. The dollar amounts of the grants were determined both by the number of people with AIDS living in the city and the estimated "severity of need" in each city. The cities receiving the most money are New York City with $103 million, Los Angeles with $40 million, San Francisco with $34 million, Washington, D.C., with $28 million, Miami with $27 million, and Chicago with $23 million. Los Angeles's portion of the grants increased this year, while grants were lower for New York and San Francisco.