RICHMOND, Va. — The director of a Richmond-based nonprofit that works with HIV patients says she believes recent funding cuts could cause the disease to spread.
Zakia McKensey has worked in the HIV prevention and education field since 1998 and later founded Nationz Foundation in 2015. For years, the group received funding for services through the Virginia Department of Health's Ryan White Part B program, providing financial assistance for things like housing, utilities, or transportation for clients who qualify.
The group also has a nonprofit that stocks goods specifically for Ryan White clients.
"It's very critical," McKensey said. "A lot of these folks on Ryan White, one, are not making a lot of money. Two, need help with our rental assistance, or you know, living expenses, because we realize that if we don't combat the social determinants of health of those who are living with HIV, then they're going to succumb to the virus."
McKensey said about two weeks ago, VDH notified her about funding cuts, saying that about 47% of their Ryan White funding would be cut in just a matter of days.
“They had explained that there were grants that they applied for through the CDC, they did not get the full award of what they were expecting to get. And so based on that, they had to, you know, look at what's happening across the state, and then make decisions about where budget cuts were going to happen," McKensey explained.
McKensey said it wasn't just her nonprofit that was impacted.
"This is going to affect a lot of people all over Virginia," she said. "There are a lot of community-based organizations that were funded under Ryan White. It was, like, 31 at one point. And now it's only 12," McKensey explained.
Though testing and treatment aren't impacted, McKensey thinks the hit to housing and food assistance could potentially cause the virus to spread.
“So if these funds are cut, people don't have anywhere to live, or can't get access to housing, then they're going to begin to do things so that they can get housed, they may not be taking their medicine as frequently as they were and were undetectable because of the way that they constantly took their medication. And then we know when you're not undetectable, you're more susceptible to spread the virus," McKensey said.
CBS 6 reached out to VDH for more information, but has not heard back at this time.
In the meantime, McKensey said the nonprofit will try to manage the change through fundraising and leveraging private dollars.
“It’s just taken a big hit for the community and people who need the services," McKensey said.
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