Committee agrees to seek $500,000 NASDAD grant to reconnect people living with HIV to care

The Government Operations Committee on March 2 voted to authorize staff to submit an application for NASDAD funding that the public health director said would provide $500,000 per year for two years to expand intensive case management for people living with HIV who have fallen out of care.

Public Health Director Gunnar told the committee the grant targets people who have not received certain HIV lab tests in six to 12 months and aims to relink them to care. "When people can suppress their viral load, they lead healthy and happy lives, and they also reduce the risk of transmission," Gunnar said, and added that allowable costs include leasing a vehicle to improve outreach and collaboration with street‑medicine partners.

Gunnar said the department is still determining eligibility thresholds and has asked the Maine CDC for prevalence data by jurisdiction; one criterion mentioned at the hearing was a prevalence of 200 people per 100,000 residents, which Penobscot County did not meet in the data Gunnar had on hand. Gunnar said the exact scope and budget may shift depending on population calculations and other eligibility rules.

Committee members asked whether the grant would cover costs beyond transportation. Gunnar said the grant could cover expansion of intensive case management and other allowable costs identified in NASDAD guidance.

A committee member who opposed the motion said accepting the grant could draw resources toward a narrow service population and generate unanticipated local costs, arguing the city should prioritize broader needs. "I'm not excited about getting grant money. Everyone thinks of it as free money, but someone's paying for it somewhere along the line," the member said, raising questions about coordination and whether program expansion might attract people from outside the city. Gunnar responded that the health department has not observed that dynamic in the current HIV response and invited committee members to review departmental reports and operations; he also noted privacy constraints when reporting client‑level information.

Councilor Jennifer Fish moved to approve submitting the application; the motion was seconded and, as the chair announced, the committee approved the application to NASDAD. The vote was taken by voice and no roll call was recorded.

Next steps: staff will continue to work with Maine CDC to confirm whether the city meets NASDAD's eligibility criteria and will proceed with the application if the department determines Bangor qualifies.