History
The Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources
Emergency (CARE) Act is Federal legislation that addressed the
unmet health needs of persons living with HIV disease (PLWH)
by funding primary health care and unmet support services that
enhance access to and retention in care. First enacted by Congress
in 1990, it was amended and reauthorized in 1996 and again in
2000.
When Ryan White Title II funds were made available
to the states by the federal government in 1990, Pennsylvania
was divided into seven regions. A planning coalition was created
in each region for the purpose of determining regional service
needs and allocating Title II funds to meet those needs. The
Northwest PA Rural AIDS Coalition serves a thirteen county region
in the northwest corner of the state. These thirteen counties
are: Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Crawford, Elk, Erie, Forest,
Jefferson, Lawrence, McKean, Mercer, Venango and Warren.
The northwest region is extremely rural, encompassing over 10,000
square miles, with a population of approximately 950,000 people.
