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 is a nonprofit that 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 the state’s Rapid Response Team at the Kentucky Career Center.

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

Collins said the services will undergo a “program transition,” but referred the Herald-Leader to Blanton for questions.

A new nonprofit, the Linkage Intervention and Navigation for Kentucky Program, will focus on linkage to care for Kentuckians and launches July 1, 2026, according to Lindsay Travis, a UK spokesperson.

How is the LINK Project happening?

The LINK Project at UK will be partially funded by the state as well as supported by other grants and braided funding sources to provide comprehensive care and supportive services across the commonwealth.

“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 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.

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 other ongoing university staff changes, which include Integrate Blue and the Enterprise Services Partnership.

This story may be updated as more information becomes available.

Editor’s note: This story was updated after UK clarified changes to dining staff are not related to centralization.

This story was originally published May 7, 2026 at 9:58 AM.