U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09) announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded $1,003,654 to the City of Paterson under the HIV Emergency Relief Program. The grant will aid low-income individuals and families by enhancing access to care and providing direct financial assistance to areas most severely affected by HIV.

“This grant will help the City of Paterson combat the devastating HIV epidemic that has plagued our community for decades,” said Rep. Pascrell, a former Paterson mayor. “This essential funding will ensure that people living with HIV and AIDS have access to the care they need to continue treatment so they can lead healthy and productive lives.”

Over 37,000 people are living with HIV or AIDS in New Jersey, which ranks among the highest in the nation for overall cumulative HIV cases. While Mayor of Paterson, Pascrell served as chairman of the Paterson-Passaic-Bergen HIV Planning Council during the early years of the Ryan White Program, which works with cities, states, and local community-based organizations to provide HIV-related services to more than a half a million people each year.

Full details on the HIV Emergency Relief Project Grant can be found here.