​THE HIV CRISIS IN THE DEEP SOUTH IS WORSENING ​

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​In a 2016 report from the Southern AIDS Strategy Initiative (SASI) 40% of HIV diagnoses were in Deep South states, which only comprised 28% of the U.S. population (2013).

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In 2013, of those targeted states, Georgia and Louisiana had the highest HIV diagnosis rates at 36.7 and 36.6 per 100,000 population, respectively.  Despite this, Louisiana receives only 2.2% of all Ryan White funding.  How that will be impacted by the new administration’s budget priorities will certainly worsen the situation.

​There Are Few Accessible HIV Services in Rural Louisiana​​

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Louisiana is divided into 9 regions, with several parishes per region.  The chart below shows new HIV diagnoses in Louisiana’s rural Region 8.*

​*LOUISIANA DHH OFFICE OF PUBLIC HEALTH (ACCESSED ONLINE 4.5.17)

​Stigma, poverty, racism, religion and poor healthcare combine to provide a cauldron for HIV infections in the rural south. Despite the fact that Region 8 has the highest per capita rate of new infections, programs and services that rely on Federal Ryan White funding are virtually absent here.  ​