By Roy Harrison, Board President, AVOL Kentucky

At AVOL Kentucky, we know that health care is about trust. For more than 30 years, we’ve built that trust by showing up, consistently, compassionately, and without judgment, for Kentuckians living with or at risk for HIV.

So when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) abruptly eliminated our $200,000 in annual HIV prevention funding, it wasn’t just a financial blow. It was a betrayal: of our mission, our staff, and the communities we serve, including Kentucky’s LGBTQ+ community.

The news we received this week wasn’t a budget cut. The funding still exists, it’s just been pulled-back. To where? No one knows. In a sweeping overhaul, the CDC chose to withdraw funding from local and statewide organizations like AVOL. The mechanics are opaque, but the risks are real.

While it would be reassuring if we saw these funds were being allocated differently in the fight against HIV and AIDS, we’re not seeing that evidence. The CDC closed its STI lab in April, and in May they ended their free HIV home test program. Further, the budget bill currently working its way through Congress, does zero out this funding source for future years across the country. 

The CDC is signaling that HIV and sexual health are not a priority. 

We weren’t cut because we failed. In fact, we exceeded every benchmark. We were preparing to expand. And now, instead of building on that success, we’re fighting to maintain critical prevention services in a state that already ranks among the worst for new HIV and hepatitis C infections. 

At AVOL, we provide more than 1,500 free HIV tests each year. We distribute condoms, resources, and care navigation services in every one of Kentucky’s 120 counties, from rural hollers to city streets. Our team helps connect people to affirming providers, educates folks on PrEP, and offers a safe space for those who may not have one anywhere else.

The direct impacts of these developments are immediate. We have reduced our walk-in testing hours, now just Monday to Thursday 1PM to 5PM, and our open testing positions that were funded by these programs will now go unfilled. We are a resilient organization, and we were designed to weather tough storms. But the loss of this funding will mean increased HIV and STI infection rates in Kentucky and across the country. 

This work is our work. It’s harm reduction work. It’s suicide prevention, STI prevention, stigma prevention. And when the CDC cuts ties with trusted, local organizations like ours, it’s not just bad policy, it’s dangerous.

Let’s be real: in many Kentucky communities, AVOL is the only sexual health provider some people will see. That’s especially true for queer Kentuckians who face barriers to care because of stigma, geography, income, or a combination of all three.

Without local providers, we risk losing the human connection at the heart of prevention. We risk replacing empathy with red tape, and trust with distance. That’s not just inefficient, it’s harmful.

The secondary effects of this decision are just as alarming. Regular access to testing and judgment-free care doesn’t just prevent HIV, it improves overall health. It leads to earlier treatment of other STIs, increased condom use, lower anxiety, and fewer emergency room  visits. It helps people live longer, healthier lives.

But instead of investing in that kind of life-saving, cost-effective care, the CDC’s decision asks us to do more with less, or, in this case, to keep doing the same essential work without the federal support that’s sustained it for years.

At AVOL Kentucky, we’ve earned the trust of the people we serve. You don’t get that from a grant proposal. You get it by showing up at Pride festivals, community centers, recovery programs, housing shelters, churches, and wherever else people need us.

We will keep showing up. But we shouldn’t have to fight this fight alone.

If you care about public health, about equity, about Kentucky’s LGBTQ+ community, then this should matter to you. Because when you defund prevention, you increase infections. You create shame. You let people fall through the cracks.

And that’s something none of us can afford.