The program’s namesake, Ryan White, was an Indiana teenager who contracted the disease in
1985 from a blood transfusion. Ryan White spent the last of his years as a public advocate for
HIV research and awareness. Because of his efforts, the Ryan White CARE Act was enacted by
Congress in 1990 in response to the growing HIV epidemic, and the need to improve the
availability and quality of healthcare for low-income, uninsured and under insured PLWH. The law,
which has been reauthorized four times (1996, 2000, 2006 and 2009), establishes funding for
Ryan White programs called “Parts”. Part A grant awards are issued annually to eligible
metropolitan areas (EMAs) and transitional grant areas (TGAs), who are most disproportionately
impacted by HIV.

RYAN WHITE PART A EMERGENCY RELIEF GRANT PROGRAM