The Blueprint for Ending Get Tested

the hiv/aids Epidemic in Treat Early

New York City and State Stay Safe

New York made history in June 2014 with Governor Cuomos announcement that the State would become the first
jurisdiction in the U.S. and the world to commit to end AIDS as an epidemic. Governor Cuomo announced a
three-part plan including:

1 identifying undiagnosed persons and linking them to HIV care;

2 maintaining a high level of care for those diagnosed with HIV;
3 providing access to a full range of HIV prevention, including chemoprophylaxis for persons at
high risk (known as pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP).

The NY Plan to End AIDS aims to reduce the number of new HIV infections in the City and State to just 750 per
year by 2020 (from an estimated 3,000 currently), and by doing so begin to reduce to the total number of New
Yorkers living with HIV for the first time since the epidemic began over 30 years ago.

On April 29, 2015, Governor Cuomo released a Blueprint for Ending the Epidemic (ETE) in NY City and State
that translates the three components of the Plan into concrete recommendations for action. The Blueprint,
developed by a Task Force of public health experts, providers, advocates, and agency officials from across
the State, includes recommendations to not only achieve the goals of Plan but to get to zero new HIV
infections, deaths, and HIV discrimination.

Below is a summary of the 30 Blueprint (BP) recommendations for reaching the goal to decrease new HIV
infections to fewer than 750 by 2020as well seven recommendations for Getting to Zero. The full Blueprint
is available at: www.health.ny.gov/diseases/aids/ending_the_epidemic/docs/blueprint.pdf

I Identify persons with HIV who remain undiagnosed and link them to health care.

There are as many as 22,000 people living with HIV in NYS who remain undiagnosed and unaware of their status.
It is critical that HIV testing be expanded and improved so these individuals can learn their HIV status and
access care and treatment to improve their health and protect their partners.

BP1. Make routine HIV testing truly routine.

BP2. Expand targeted testing.
BP3. Address acute HIV infection.
BP4. Improve referral and engagement.

II Link and retain persons diagnosed with HIV in care to maximize virus suppression so
they remain healthy and prevent further transmission.

Currently only 52% of people diagnosed with HIV in NYS are virally suppressed, leaving as many as 64,000
people with HIV possibly receiving sub-optimal treatment and not experiencing the health and prevention
benefits of viral suppression.

BP57. Use data & innovative programs to identify and assist patients lost to care or not
virally suppressed.
BP8. Enhance and streamline services to support the non-medical needs of persons with HIV.
BP9. Provide enhanced services for patients within correctional and other institutions and specific
programming for patients returning home from corrections or other institutional settings.
III Provide access to PrEP for high-risk persons to keep them HIV-negative.

PrEP (also called pre-exposure prophylaxis) is a targeted biomedical intervention to facilitate health care
as prevention, a six-pronged intervention for people who are HIV-negative and at high risk for infection.
The intervention includes a once-daily pill; periodic HIV testing; periodic STD screening; counseling about
the use of condoms to prevent STDs; education about harm reduction options; and counseling to promote
adherence to the once-a-day PrEP medication. For persons at high risk of acquiring HIV, PrEP and nPEP (non-
occupational post-exposure prophylaxis) could mean the difference between staying negative and living the
rest of their lives with HIV.

BP11. Undertake a statewide education campaign on PrEP and nPEP.

BP12. Include a variety of statewide programs to increase access to PrEP and nPEP.
BP13. Create a statewide mechanism for persons to access PrEP and nPEP.
BP14. Develop mechanisms to determine PrEP and nPEP usage and adherence.

Other key Blueprint recommendations outline strategies to:

BP15. Promote the health of people who use drugs.

BP16. Ensure access to stable housing.
BP18. Address transgender health care and human rights.
BP21. Establish an HIV peer workforce.
BP23. Promote comprehensive sexual health education.
BP24. Remove disincentives for the possession of condoms.
BP26. Provide HCV testing to persons with HIV.
BP29. Expand and enhance the use of data.
BP30. Increase access to employment/vocational services.

Getting to Zero (GTZ) recommendations

While the above Blueprint recommendations are ambitious and put the city and state in a leadership position
in the global effort to end the epidemic, the Task Force proposed the following recommendations to bolster
the plan and achieve the community goals of zero new infections, zero AIDS-related deaths, and zero HIV-
related discrimination.

GTZ1. Single point of entry for low-income persons with HIV/AIDS.

GTZ2. Decriminalization of condoms.
GTZ3. Enact reforms to improve drug user health.
GTZ4. Passage of the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA).
GTZ5. Passage of the Healthy Teens Act.
GTZ6. Expanded Medicaid Coverage to targeted populations.
GTZ7. Guaranteeing minors the right to consent to HIV treatment and prophylaxis.

More information

For the full text of the Blueprint and additional information on the NY Plan to End the AIDS Epidemic by 2020,
please go to: https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/aids/ending_the_epidemic/docs/blueprint.pdf

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