Janssen Therapeutics Announces Funding for Organizations Focused on Improving Care and Treatment for Vulnerable Populations Living with HIV

Extends Company's Ongoing Commitment to Supporting Underserved Communities in the United States

News provided by

Janssen Therapeutics

Mar 21, 2016, 05:00 ET

TITUSVILLE, N.J., March 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Janssen today announced the recipients of funding from two special Requests for Applications (RFA) to encourage innovative models of care and support for two stigmatized groups living with HIV: young men who have sex with men (MSM) of color, and transgender women and gender-nonconforming individuals.

This is the ninth consecutive year the company has made special funding available for non-profit organizations to support comprehensive, community-based models of care and advocacy for vulnerable populations. This is the first year the company has earmarked funding specifically to address barriers to care for transgender women living with HIV and funding for gender-nonconforming individuals. The focus for both RFAs aligns with the White House's National HIV/AIDS Strategy, which aims to increase access to care and improve health outcomes for people living with HIV and reduce HIV-related inequities and health disparities.

Young MSM of color are disproportionately affected by HIV in the U.S. Among all MSM, young Black MSM experienced the largest increase in new infections of all racial and ethnic groups between 2009 and 2013.1 Rates of antiretroviral (ARV) treatment and viral suppression are lower among Black MSM (20% and 16%, respectively) than white MSM (39% and 34%, respectively).2

Additionally, as a community, transgender women and gender-nonconforming individuals are disproportionately vulnerable to HIV. The National HIV/AIDS Strategy cites rates of HIV as high as 30% among transgender women, and notes that efforts focused on this population have been limited, especially with respect to transgender women of color.3,4 Among transgender people in 2010, the highest percentages of new HIV infections were among Black and Hispanic/Latino women.5

Young MSM of color and transgender women face significant barriers to medical care including stigma, discrimination, and a history of poor interactions with the healthcare system. Social determinants of health such as economic hardship, poor mental health, and lack of housing, employment and education also contribute to disparities in healthcare access and health outcomes for these marginalized groups.6 

Sixteen United States-based organizations each will receive a one-year charitable contribution of up to $30,000. They comprise a diverse range of organizations in each category.

Improving Linkage to Care and Retention among Young MSM of Color Living with HIV

Improving Linkage to Care and Retention Among Transgender Women and Gender-Nonconforming People Living with HIV

"The focus of our funding this year underscores our continued commitment to holistically addressing barriers to care among underserved, at-risk populations," said Nefertiti Greene, President, Janssen Therapeutics, Division of Janssen Products, LP. "We believe that people living with HIV should have access to compassionate support, and communities play a pivotal role in providing resources to the most vulnerable."

United States-based 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations were eligible to submit proposals. Programs that incorporated peer support, were outcomes-driven and encouraged collaboration across multiple organizations were given preference. Priority was also given to organizations in the rural South where services for young MSM of color are under-resourced relative to the need.

Committed to Supporting Underserved Communities

As part of its overall support of community organizations, Janssen funds endeavors addressing unmet needs for underserved populations in the HIV and hepatitis C communities while providing funding to community-based organizations.

The company periodically issues focused RFAs to address significant unmet care or access needs among underserved populations living with HIV and/or hepatitis C to help stimulate new models of care and services and to enhance organizational capacity. This is the ninth funding initiative since 2008, contributing more than $3.6 million to community-based and national organizations.

Janssen has also funded a novel series of continuing medical education workshops developed by the Annenberg Center for Health Sciences at Eisenhower that trains physicians on providing culturally competent HIV care for transgender persons.

To learn more, visit http://www.janssen.com/us/grants-and-giving/charitable-contributions.

About the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies

At the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, we are working to create a world without disease. Transforming lives by finding new and better ways to prevent, intercept, treat and cure disease inspires us.

We bring together the best minds and pursue the most promising science. We are Janssen. We collaborate with the world for the health of everyone in it. Learn more at www.janssen.com. Follow us at @JanssenUS.

Janssen Therapeutics, Division of Janssen Products, LP is part of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies.

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1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). HIV surveillance in men who have sex with men (MSM). 2014. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/pdf/library/slidesets/cdc-hiv-surveillance-slides-msm.pdf. Accessed March 2016.
2. Rosenberg ES, Millett GA, Sullivan PS et al. Understanding the HIV disparities between black and white men who have sex with men in the USA using the HIV care continuum: a modelling study. Lancet HIV. 2014;1:112–18.
3. National HIV/AIDS Strategy. July 2015. Available at https://www.aids.gov/federal-resources/national-hiv-aids-strategy/nhas-update.pdf. Accessed March 2016.
4. Herbst JH, Jacobs ED, Finlayson TJ, McKleroy VS, Neumann MS, Crepaz N. Estimating HIV prevalence and risk behaviors of transgender persons in the United States: a systematic review. AIDS Behav. 2008;12:1–17.
5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). HIV Among Transgender People in the United States. Fact Sheet. April 2015. http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/pdf/group/gender/transgender/cdc-hiv-transgender.pdf . Accessed January 2016.
6. Abbott LS, Williams CL.  Influences of Social Determinants of Health on African Americans Living With HIV in the Rural Southeast: A Qualitative Meta-synthesis. J Assoc Nurses AIDS Care. 2015;26(4):340-356.

Media contact:
Lisa Vaga
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Mobile: (908) 670-0363

SOURCE Janssen Therapeutics

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