The current administration has had a hand in cutting back several federal funding opportunities that affect, in reality, every American. Slashes in federal funding pose a threat to millions as citizens witness medicaid cuts, diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, and even federal programs that prevent gun violence. A lot of organizations, hospitals and community service providers in L.A. County are bracing themselves to feel a new blow, Trump’s federal grant funding cuts to HIV program services, which puts a lot of people at risk if they are not able to have access to adequate sexual health services.
Organizations such as the Men’s Health Foundation (MHF), will feel the blow of federal cuts as early as June 1. When that day comes, which is very soon, the organization will not be able to provide their rapid results testing services to the Los Angeles Community.
Our Weekly spoke to the Men’s Health Foundation to gain more insight into what is at stake. There are currently 33 publicly-funded clinics in Los Angeles County that offer low-cost or no-cost STI (sexually transmitted infection) and HIV testing and treatment services. In 2024, the Los Angeles County’s Department of Public Health (DPH) compiled the following data:
• Over 9,000 cases of syphilis and neurosyphilis;
• 126 cases of congenital syphilis
• Over 26,000 cases of gonorrhea;
Also, the Men’s Health Foundation compiled compiled the following data from DPH’s 2023 HIV and STI surveillance data that demonstrate the importance of sexual health services:
• There are almost 60,000 people living with HIV in Los Angeles County but only 91 percent know their status, roughly 7,000 individuals have HIV and don’t know it.
• There are 1,400 new HIV transmissions that occur every year
In 2024, MHF performed roughly over 15,000 HIV tests. 132 returned positive and 25 were newly diagnosed and immediately linked to care, according to a spokesperson from the organization.
Chief Medical Officer of the Men’s Health Foundation,. Dr. Tracy D. Robinson said, “Our organization is reaching out to the media to communicate how this is a humanity problem. It’s easy for some of us to say, ‘those are not my people, you deal with it.”
She continued, “It doesn’t have to be that it is one community’s problem or another community’s problem. This is a humanity issue.” Robinson also emphasized that lack of funding has resulted in a few layoffs for staff at MHF, as she shared that she also attended an HIV symposium in Los Angeles in which a prominent director outright said “we don’t have funding for your programs to continue.”
Carlos Vegas-Matos, Chief Operating Officer of the Men’s Health Foundation said “In the next few years this will result in a mass increase in care and treatment costs of anywhere between $1 and $1.4 billion, this is based on recent studies and predictions from amFAR (the American Foundation for AIDS Research).”
While emphasizing all of the various data, services, and resources that MHF offers and is at risk of, Vegas-Matos also encouraged all Americans to help organizations advocate regardless of which marginalized community one represents. “Whether you’re coming from communities of color, same gender loving communities and so forth… we are under attack on all fronts. Some of the attacks are direct attacks to DEI or anything perceived as DEI, so we need to make our voices heard again like we did in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Vegas-Matos referenced how many Americans began to fight against injustices of police brutality and the federal government in 2020, and said that “we need to go back to that and fight because our lives depend on it.”
Earlier this month, the Trump administration proposed the “skinny budget”, an effort that emphasizes plans to eliminate federal funding that will impact HIV services in a proposed budget plan of the administration’s 2026 fiscal year. In the budget plan, sexual health and HIV care service providers will not receive proper funding to keep their services afloat for various populations such as people living with HIV, women, youth and the LGBTQ+ community. It is also important to note that many of L.A. County’s sexual health related programs (and those across the U.S.) that provide low or no-cost HIV and STI testing and treatment services took over 30 years since the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s to fully establish.
In response to what appears to be an inevitable attack on various marginalized communities who rely on sexual health services, the Men’s Health Foundation is planning a fundraising effort in order to combat the federal funding cuts to HIV programming. The organization will urge community members to donate funds to assist with the continuation of Rapid Results services for HIV and STI testing and treatment, an essential need for many.
Rob Lester, Senior Director of Public Programs said, “These cuts will devastate people’s access to sexual health care, including HIV and STI testing and treatment. This will increase infection rates, transmission rates, and people with undiagnosed HIV and STIs. Without care, these infections can have life-long effects on both men and women.”
Lester also shared that the Los Angeles community is in a “public health crisis.” He continued, “We are urging community members to act to preserve these essential services. HIV and STI infections can affect anyone in the community, and only by ensuring that everyone has access to testing and treatment services can we protect the health of all community members.”
Sexual Health, HIV and prevention services are in fact a dire need for many Angelenos. For more information about MHF, their fundraiser, testing information and so forth please visit www.menshealthfound.org
