Dozens of workers will be laid off as HIV/AIDS program at UK ends

A Kentucky HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment organization will soon close, and its 61 employees will be laid off due to a loss of funding and restructuring at UK HealthCare.

The Kentucky Income Reinvestment Program, a partnership between the University of Kentucky and the Kentucky Department for Public Health, will shut down on June 30, according to the program’s website and a termination notice sent to its employees on April 29. The organization has served people for eight years statewide.

The Kentucky Income Reinvestment Program oversees the Target4 Project, which “integrates Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Early Intervention, Health Education/Risk Reduction and Outreach services in collaboration with Harm Reduction Programs (HRP), Syringe Services Programs (SSPs), and targeted outreach throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky,” its website said.

The program launched in 2018 when there were over 400 new HIV cases in Kentucky, according to America’s HIV Epidemic Analysis Dashboard.

The program’s website said its closure is “due to changes in funding.”

“These were grant funded positions,” said Jay Blanton, a spokesperson for UK. “That funding has been discontinued, resulting in this action.”

Jana Collins, the HIV program operations director of UK HealthCare, blamed the closure on “restructuring” within UKHC. Collins sent the termination letter to UKHC’s Rapid Response Team, which consists of “critical care nurses who provide 24-hour coverage to all adult areas of the hospital,” the UKHC website said.

“We appreciate the opportunity to have been a part of this wonderful community for so many years,” Collins said in the letter.

She called it a “program transition,” but referred the Herald-Leader to Blanton for questions.

The services provided by this program are expected to continue after June 30 under a new initiative.

“Our team is working on the launch of a new program, the LINK Project, which is designed to improve the health and well-being of Kentuckians at increased risk for HIV and Hepatitis C by deploying community health advocates (CHA) to utilize strategic outreach and testing efforts to identify those at risk and retain them in care,” the Kentucky Income Reinvestment Program’s website said.

“Through increased access, the LINK Project empowers individuals to engage and retain in medical care and enhance health outcomes across Kentucky.”

It is unclear what date the LINK Project will begin services, or whether the 61 employees who were laid off may be rehired through the new initiative.

“These position eliminations are expected to be permanent,” Collins said in the layoff notice.

Blanton said UK will try to employ any employees who were terminated, but it’s not definite.

“The University is working with those impacted by the loss of this funding and the positions about whether there are other job opportunities with the University or whether they prefer to find employment elsewhere,” Blanton said.

Collins and the income reinvestment program did not respond to the Herald-Leader’s requests for comment prior to publication.

The program is still offering HIV/AIDS testing until June 30. Anyone with questions could contact link.project@uky.edu or janacollins@uky.edu.

This isn’t the only program being affected by restructuring at UK — dining employees are also facing a change. UK is cutting ties with Aramark, effective the same date, and over 900 UK dining employees are being terminated from Aramark.

Aramark’s replacement is expected to rehire those who were terminated, according to Blanton. The new company will also oversee maintenance and custodial workers, who are currently employed by UK, not a private company.

Blanton said the HIV/AIDS job and program cuts were unrelated to the university’s centralization efforts, like Integrate Blue and the Enterprise Services Partnership.

This story may be updated as more information becomes available.