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Women living with HIV and advocates urge Council to replace federal prevention cuts
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Summary
Founders and leaders of the Women's Collective told the Committee on Health that CDC and federal prevention funding cuts have eliminated local prevention grants and that the group seeks reinstatement or local funding to continue PrEP outreach and other prevention services.
The Women's Collective and allied advocates told the Committee on Health that recent federal reductions to HIV prevention funding have removed critical local prevention grants and put at-risk women at greater risk.
Patricia Knowles, founder of the Women's Collective, recounted the group's history of serving women during the HIV epidemic and said prevention funding for her organization was cut as of May 31. "We must get women to access prevention," Knowles said, noting the group's prior success in helping women access PrEP and prevention supports.
Valerie Rochester, who recently took leadership of the organization, said the Women's Collective serves roughly 23 percent of people living with HIV in the District and that 90 percent of women with HIV locally are Black. Rochester said prior CDC and federal prevention funding reductions have created gaps and that local backfills are needed to prevent increases in new infections.
Multiple clients and former clients provided personal testimony about how the Women's Collective supported their care and survival. The organization's leaders and clients urged the Council to restore prevention funding and to consider local replacements should federal resources not be returned.
Ending: The committee acknowledged the testimony and said it would follow up with DC Health about grant shifts and any proposed local replacements in the FY26 budget.
