DOGE Cuts Will Impact HIV Services in Long Beach

Due to $1.3 million in cuts to programs long funded by federal grants, the city of Long Beach, California will no longer provide a mobile testing unit for free HIV and sexually transmitted infection testing, outreach services and education programs for high-risk individuals, reports the Long Beach Watchdog. In April, the city outlined several other programs at risk of termination or reduction including childhood and school vaccinations, bioterrorism preparedness and childhood lead poisoning and prevention initiatives.

Per the Watchdog:

“Long Beach is not alone in experiencing these impacts due to loss of federal funding,” city health officials said in a statement issued Wednesday. “Reductions to programs were also seen across the country and regionally in Los Angeles County, which provides health services to those outside Long Beach.”

As a result of the cuts, the city will no longer provide the following services:

Mobile Testing Unit, which provided free HIV/STI testing at various locations in Long Beach;

HIV and STI testing and treatment services located at the Ron Arias Health Equity Center (6335 Myrtle Ave.);

STI/HIV outreach and engagement services, including PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) navigation services;

Sexual and Social Network, which provided outreach, education and testing to social and sexual networks of high-risk individuals.