Ryan White HIV Services

The Minnesota Ryan White Program helps low-income people living with HIV access health care and supportive services to reach and maintain viral suppression.

The Hennepin County Ryan White Program does the following:

Implements the Federal Ryan White Part A grant to fund HIV services at clinic and community-based organizations
Administers DHS Ryan White Part B Funds for HIV services at metro-area clinic and community-based organizations
Convenes the Minnesota Council for HIV/AIDS Care and Prevention

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Get help for HIV

Find resources that fit your needs for testing, medications, or other HIV-related assistance.

People with HIV in Minnesota can apply for antiretroviral medication assistance and other benefits.

The Ryan White System of Care

Eligibility for the Ryan White Program is determined by the Minnesota Department of Human Services. For more information and/or to apply for Ryan White services:

Red Door

This clinic offers sexual health care for everyone. People who use or inject drugs can get sterile syringes. You can also get confidential HIV/STI testing and treatment in a safe, caring setting. Red Door also offers PrEP, a daily pill for people who don’t have HIV but are at high risk of getting it.

Red Door Clinic
525 Portland Avenue South, 4th floor, Minneapolis, MN 55415
Red Door Clinic map
Call 612-543-5555 to make an appointment or get test results
Walk-ins available
Red Door

PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis)

PrEP is a daily pill for people who don’t have HIV but are at risk of getting it. To reduce your risk of getting HIV, use this medication along with:

condom use
safer sex counseling
routine testing for sexually transmitted infections

Find out more about PrEP and how to get it at Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) - MN Dept. of Health.

Where to get referrals for services

The AIDSLine is Minnesota's statewide information & referral service for HIV. They can be reached by:

Phone: 612-822-7946, ext. 243
Email: AIDSLine@aliveness.org
Website: AIDSLine - The Aliveness Project

For more information on HIV resources visit the Violet Directory

Housing and HIV

Low-barrier HIV Housing

In 2021, there was an HIV outbreak in Hennepin and Ramsey Counties that mainly affected people who use drugs and didn't have stable housing.

In response, Hennepin County's Ryan White Program brought together a team of experts who work in HIV care and prevention. Their goal was to create housing criteria that could lead to safe, stable housing for people with HIV. These criteria were based on interviews with people with lived experience and with service providers.

The group encourages housing providers and funders to use these criteria when creating or improving housing services for people with HIV.

Low-barrier HIV housing resources:

For questions about these projects, contact ryanwhite@hennepin.us.

Create+equity Collaborative

Our program was part of the create+equity Collaborative, an 18-month learning collaborative created by the Center for Quality Improvement and Innovation. The collaborative goals were to improve health outcomes for people living with HIV by reducing barriers related to the social factors of health.

Our focus was on improving housing access and coordination of care for people living with HIV in the Twin Cities metro area. We conducted a study about the challenges people living with HIV experience in getting housing and maintaining positive health outcomes. The data from this project are helping improve access to services for HIV and housing. Find more about the create+equity Collaborative.

create+equity project executive summary of findings (PDF, 1MB)

For questions or feedback about this project, email Scott Bilodeau at scott.bilodeau@hennepin.us.

2020 HIV community needs survey

This online survey collected responses from people with HIV living in Minnesota and the Minneapolis-St. Paul Transitional Grant Area. Over 800 responses were submitted from March to November 2020.

The survey was developed collaboratively by Hennepin County Public Health, MN Department of Human Services, and the Minnesota Council for HIV/AIDS Care and Prevention.

Databooks, reports, and presentations

Surveys

Survey – English (PDF, 1MB)

Questions or feedback

For questions or feedback, contact Cody Raasch at cody.raasch@hennepin.us and Emily Reimer at emily.reimer@state.mn.us.

Minnesota Council for HIV/AIDS Care and Prevention

The Minnesota Council for HIV/AIDS Care and Prevention (MCHACP) is comprised of people with a stake in HIV prevention and care, including people from HIV-affected communities. The council operates as a collaborative between the Minnesota Department of Human Services, the Minnesota Department of Health, and Hennepin County Public Health. It is the responsible of MCHACP to:

Develop Minnesota’s Integrated HIV Prevention and Care Plan
Make decisions and recommendations about HIV treatment and care services
Prioritize populations for HIV prevention services

Interested in serving on the council or getting involved?

Please email Aamina Abdirashid Mohamed at aamina.abdirashidmohamed@hennepin.us.

Data reports and presentations

Information for service providers

This information is for Ryan White funded providers who have Hennepin County contracts for the 2025 fiscal year. Questions may be directed to ryanwhite@hennepin.us or to your organization’s contract manager.

Fiscal year 2025 (FY 2025)

Part A/Part A MAI: March 1, 2025 - February 28, 2026

Part B: April 1, 2025 - March 31, 2026

Contract/invoice information

Contract guide (PDF, 1MB): This resource describes contractual changes and expectations for subrecipients contracted through Hennepin County's Ryan White Program for the current fiscal year.

Contracted providers meeting slides (PDF, 7MB): This resource includes all information shared during the 2025 fiscal year kickoff meeting hosted by the Ryan White Program in April 2025.

Disbursement workbook (XLSX, 1MB): Any gift cards or transportation cards purchased with Ryan White funds can be reimbursed once disbursed to Ryan White eligible clients. Only disbursed gift/transportation cards are to be included on monthly invoices. A disbursement log is to be maintained at the site level for review during annual audits and/or site visits. This resource may be adapted for this use.

Eligible individuals and allowable uses of funds (PDF, 1MB): This policy clarification notice (#16-02) was issued by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to clarify how Ryan White funds can be used for eligible clients. Each provider who receives funds must review their spending to make sure it complies with this notice.

Quality management

All Ryan White funded providers are required to have active quality improvement (QI) plans. QI workplans are due by April 1 and progress will be reported in quarterly reports and calls throughout the fiscal year.

Basecamp is a forum used to share relevant events, information, and resources with providers. To sign up, contact a member of the Ryan White team directly or email ryanwhite@hennepin.us.

Quality reports/calls

Quarterly reports are due in Qualtrics at the dates noted below. A link for the report will be emailed out with reminders of due dates.

Due July 20, 2025

Quarter 1 report reflecting Part A/MAI March 1, 2025 – May 31, 2025, and Part B April 1, 2025 – June 30, 2025.

Due October 20, 2025

Quarter 2 report reflecting Part A/MAI June 1, 2025 – August 31, 2025, and Part B July 1, 2025 – September 31, 2025.

Due January 20, 2026

Quarter 3 report reflecting Part A/MAI September 1, 2025 – November 30, 2025, and Part B October 1, 2025 – December 31, 2025.

Due April 20, 2026

Quarter 4 report reflecting Part A/MAI December 1, 2025 – February 28, 2026, and Part B January 1, 2026 – March 31, 2026.

Quarterly report (PDF, 1MB): This document captures the content of the quarterly report survey in Qualtrics. It may be used as a reference or modified to collect responses at the site level before updating and submitting the Qualtrics survey.

Quarterly call (PDF, 1MB): This document captures the quarterly call template for quarters 1, 2, and 3. These calls are scheduled when submitting the quarterly reports. In lieu of a quarter 4 call, Hennepin County staff will reach out to schedule the annual site visit.

Resources

Provider onboarding

To help new Ryan White providers and staff learn about the Ryan White Legislation and how it works in Minnesota, the slide decks below can be downloaded and used at your site.

The Hennepin County Ryan White team is also available to provider a training overview when necessary. Please reach out to ryanwhite@Hennepin.us to arrange training.

Service standards

Service standards (or standards of care) outline the elements and expectations of a Ryan White service provider. Standards of care ensure that all Ryan White service providers offer the same fundamental components of a given service.

National monitoring standards

The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program national monitoring standards provide legislative, regulatory, and program guidelines, outlining how recipients and subrecipients can meet these requirements. Hennepin County ensures compliance through annual site visits and quarterly reports and calls.

Medical case management

The medical case management acuity assessment and client service tiers help evaluate a client's case management needs and assist in creating a personalized care plan. These tools were developed through collaboration between Hennepin County and its subrecipients.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS), the Ryan White Part B recipient, arranges semi-annual medical case management training for new staff. More information may be requested at the HIV Supports at DHS site. A Ryan White Program medical case management manual is in development and will be published by November 2026. Any time Hennepin County becomes aware of a new case management training opportunity, we will share it with our funded providers.

CAREWare

CAREWare is the electronic health and social support services information system for the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program that all Hennepin County funded subrecipient providers use to enter client and service data. The system is administered by the Minnesota Department of Health. More information can be found on Minnesota CAREWare.

Centralized eligibility (MNCE)

Minnesota uses a centralized eligibility system called MNCE for evaluating Ryan White client eligibility for Parts A and B services. DHS assumes the responsibility of collecting client application materials, determining eligibility, and documenting that eligibility for provider verification on the MNCE At a Glance page in CAREWare. The At a Glance page is the source of truth for all Ryan White Parts A and/or B client eligibility.

Information and resources can be found at DHS HIV Services.

Interpretation and translation services

Any Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program client can receive Ryan White services in their preferred language. All interpretation service encounters require an Exhibit A be submitted through Qualtrics.

Use of incentives

All use of incentives in the Ryan White Program must be aligned with the policy clarification notice #16-02: Eligible individuals and allowable use of funds (PDF, 1MB).

Any Ryan White service providers who have a contract with Hennepin County and use incentives in their program must review the incentives policy and procedure document below and submit the participant incentives information and attestation form. This may be uploaded with the quarter 1 quarterly report and as needed based on programmatic changes.

Points of entry and annual report

The Ryan White CARE Act requires Ryan White subrecipients to establish, maintain, and document referral relationships with key points of entry. This helps individuals living with HIV and connects them to primary health care.

Points of entry are health care and human services access points. These access points help underserved people with HIV meet their medical and social service needs. They are key for referring individuals into the HIV care system.

Examples:

Health departments
Emergency rooms
Substance abuse programs
Mental health programs
Detention facilities
STI and HIV clinics
Homeless shelters
Counseling and testing sites
Federally qualified health centers
Other healthcare points of entry that have established referral relationships or agreements with Part A subrecipients.

At least 3 points of entry referral relationships must be documented and submitted yearly as prompted in the quarter 1 report - Point of entry letter of agreement (PDF, 1MB)

Points of entry annual reports should be submitted with the quarter 4 report - Point of entry annual report (PDF, 1MB)

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