RICHMOND, Va. — Starting March 31, Capital Area Health Network (CAHN) will no longer offer HIV/AIDS services to the 500 clients that currently use them.
The nonprofit health clinic shared a message with patients about its Wellness Center shuttering operations on March 24, a week prior to the program's end.
"We are prepared to ensure a smooth transition of care for you," the message said. It also encouraged patients to contact Allison Green, the Senior Advisor for the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program with the Virginia Department of Health.
According to CAHN, the Wellness Center is funded through Ryan White grants, "making it possible for us to provide clients with comprehensive medical coverage at little cost, if any, to the client." Its website says CAHN has offered the program since 2001.
CAHN's website says Ryan White-funded programs are "utilized as the 'payer of last resort,' meaning that the clients who come into care have exhausted all other means of paying for their medical care."
According to CAHN's CEO, Tracy Causey, VDH notified CAHN on March 24 that they would not be refunded for the programming and that the reasoning why was "very vague."
Causey told CBS 6 during a phone call Thursday that CAHN and VDH were supposed to meet earlier in the year to discuss funding, but that schedule conflicts prevented it from happening. He also said that he was waiting to hear back from VDH to learn more information.
However, a spokesperson with VDH later told CBS 6 why the department is no longer authorizing the Ryan White Part B grant to CAHN for Grant Year 2025.
"This time period begins on April 1, 2025 and runs until March 31, 2026. The decision was not made because of federal budget cuts to the Ryan White Program. Earlier this year, CAHN closed three locationsdue to a number of fiscal issues and laid off Ryan White program staff. VDH received numerous complaints from clients who were unable to access services," Maria Reppas, a VDH spokesperson said in an email statement to CBS 6. "VDH worked with CAHN to assess their ability to carry out services and administer grant funds. Ultimately we decided not to enter into a new contract. VDH provided CAHN with the names of other Ryan White providers in the area that could serve these clients and requested that they assist these clients in making the transfer. Clients who still need assistance in connecting to services can call VDH's Disease Prevention Hotline at 1-800-533-4148."
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CBS 6 also obtained an email sent from a VDH director going into further detail.
It said in January, VDH learned CAHN had spent over $500,000 of the Wellness program's grant money to pay off a debt of over $2M to the Department of Medical Assistance Services.
"On January 31, CAHN informed VDH that it had laid off five experienced Ryan-White funded staff, including grant management staff, without any plan for succession. In a public meeting, CAHN's executive director also stated his intention to discontinue Ryan White services," the email read.
The email continued with a timeline of events, saying in February, that assessments of the clinic found "a number of other concerning issues," saying that recent audits showed it was operating "at an increasing level of debt."
VDH said it notified CAHN of its decision not to continue giving them grant money on March 20, four days prior to CAHN's announcement to patients.
Its current contract would expire March 31, and patients and their medical records would need to be transferred to a different provider.
CBS 6 did share the statement VDH provided with Causey and asked for a response but has not heard back at this time.
“There was no referral for them to go anywhere else, and are clinics are going to be able to support them like CAHN did at the same level of care?" said Kelly Herz, a VCU School of Social Work student who works directly with clients that benefit from CAHN's care. “We're taught to advocate, we're taught to refer, and how can we refer our clients if a resource isn't available anymore?”
Herz said the news has been devastating to HIV-positive patients who rely on CAHN's services for treatment and prescriptions and will now need to navigate finding low or no-cost care at other clinics, she says, that are already overwhelmed.
"These clinics are not expecting that influx of patients to go through their doors. And it takes a decent amount of time to even get clients the care that they need. You know, there’s an intake process. You have to wait. You have to find a doctor. That takes time," Herz said. "And HIV is a fast-acting virus that needs the medication now. It’s not fair. It’s not OK. And I know that if I was a patient, I would want immediate care as soon as care ended, right? And that’s not happening, and that’s not going to happen.”
A spokesperson for the Richmond and Henrico Health Districts encouraged residents who have questions about accessing HIV/STI services to call RHHD's contact center at 804-205-3501.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
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