Ryan White and National Youth HIV and AIDS Awareness Day

Approximately 21% of new HIV cases in the United States are people ages 13-24 (CDC, 2021). Cases were overwhelmingly among gay/bisexual men, particularly African Americans. From 2014-2018, HIV infections among U.S. youth have declined across most subpopulations. However, across age groups, youth are least likely to know their HIV status. Of every 100 youth with HIV, 45 did not know their HIV status (CDC, 2021)

Young RWHAP Clients and Viral Suppression

In 2020, 3.5% of Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) clients were 13-24 years of age. The proportion of RWHAP clients in this age group who achieved viral suppression has increased steadily and significantly, from 46.6% to 81.5% (2010 - 2020). The rate lags the RWHAP average of 89.4% (2020 RWHAP Annual Client-Level Data Report, HRSA 2021).

The proportion of RWHAP clients ages 13-24 who achieved viral suppression nearly doubled from 2010-2020, going from 46.6% to 81.5%. This improvement parallels the 69.5% to 89.4% improvement for all RWHAP clients over the same time period (2020 Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Annual Client-Level Data Report, HRSA 2021).

Among other RWHAP youth clients, viral suppression was lowest among youth with unstable housing (69.6%), transgender youth (74.2%), and youth with temporary housing (76.3%) (HIV Care Outcomes: Viral Suppression, 2020, PPTX, HRSA, 2022).

TA and Training Projects

Our Adolescents & Youth topic page presents various technical resources on HIV care. In addition, our HIV Care Innovations: Replication Resources lists best practices in HIV care under the Youth, Clinical Quality Management, and Clinical Care sections. Highlights include:

• Center for Innovation and Engagement (CIE). Youth-focused evidence-informed interventions include Project ACCEPT, Project STYLE, and Tailored Motivational Interviewing.

• HRSA HAB Building Futures: Supporting Youth Living with HIV. Best practices for enhancing services to youth with HIV, ages 13-24, that contribute to better outcomes in retention and viral suppression. 
• SPNS Social Media Initiative Demonstration Site Resources. Various innovative social and digital media methods to engage people with HIV (including including underserved youth) into primary care and supportive services were developed under this SPNS initiative. Learn about the social media, internet, and mobile-based technologies developed by the 10 demonstration sites.
• His Health: Engaging Black MSM in HIV Care and Prevention. This initiative developed resources on ways to enhance  care delivery for African American gay/bisexual men, including young men. His Health offers a compendium of care models, training modules on PrEP and other topics, and resources for enhanced linkage, retention, and engagement strategies. 
• HIV Disparity Interventions and didactic presentations are two collections of quality management approaches to improving HIV outcomes among various populations, including youth. These tools were developed by the HRSA Center for Quality Improvement and Innovation (CQII).
• The National HIV Curriculum presents a section on delivering HIV care to adolescents and young adults. See additional clinical resources on the AETC National Coordinating Resource Center's Adolescents and Young Adults.

Ryan White 2020-2021 Conference Sessions

Access youth-focused sessions and posters from the 2020 Ryan White National Conference on HIV Care and Treatment and the 2020 and 2021 Ryan White Clinical Conferences.  Videos, slides and posters feature interventions focused on sexual health, mental health, housing, and the role of peers in engaging youth in HIV care.