US hands over field‑visit kits to support HIV treatment outreach

The United States on Thursday handed over 18 medical field-visit kits valued at US$23,000 ($3.6 million) to support HIV care in Jamaica, marking a boost to outreach services for patients unable to attend clinic appointments. The equipment was formally delivered during a site visit and handover ceremony at the Centre for HIV/AIDS Research Education and Services (CHARES) at The University of the West Indies.

The kits were procured with funding from the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and distributed to CHARES, the Southeast Regional Health Authority and the Southern Regional Health Authority, benefiting all parishes served by the two regions.

Designed for clinicians conducting home visits, the kits are intended to help ensure that clients remain on schedule with medical appointments and lifesaving HIV treatment.

Charge d’Affaires Scott Renner joined officials at the ceremony, underscoring Washington’s continued public-health partnership with the Jamaican Government. The United States, through PEPFAR and the CDC, supports efforts to build resilient health systems capable of preventing, detecting and responding to emerging threats. Since 2018, PEPFAR has invested about US$72 million in Jamaica to strengthen HIV programmes.

A key component of the partnership is sustained backing for CHARES. From 2020 to the present, the CDC has provided roughly US$7.6 million through PEPFAR implementing partners to support operations and procure essential HIV medications for persons living with HIV.

“This facility is not just a center for medicine; it is a pillar of hope and a testament to what we can achieve when the United States and Jamaica work side-by-side,” Renner said during the visit.

US support to CHARES began in 2015 with human-resources assistance. Today, PEPFAR funding accounts for 43 per cent of the centre’s total budget and has helped transform it into a premier clinical site and Jamaica’s second-largest HIV treatment facility. CHARES serves more than 1,200 active clients and reports a 91-per-cent retention rate and a 95-per-cent viral-suppression rate.

CHARES was the first site in Jamaica to achieve the UNAIDS 90-90-90 target in 2021. It continues to lead the rollout of the preferred first-line HIV treatment regimen, TLD, and national expansion of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). The centre maintains a 90-per-cent PrEP retention rate, far above the global average of 60 per cent.

Its work has earned recognition from the Ministry of Health and Wellness and international acclaim, including acknowledgment from the International AIDS Society for its ‘PrEP on the Go’ initiative.