Under-represented groups are especially needed for the council and its committees
DAVID TAFFET | Senior Staff Writer
taffet@dallasvoice.com
The Dallas Eligible Metropolitan Area Ryan White Planning Council is looking for new council and committee members. The council has 33 slots, and only 19 of them are currently filled.
According to council chair John Dornheim, a membership is limited to two three-year terms. A number of people joined the council together, and they all rolled off at the same time, he explained.
Council members need to reflect the HIV/AIDS community, Dornheim said. So if 30 percent of HIV cases in the 10-county area covered by the council are Hispanic, about a third of council members should be Hispanic, too.
But, he noted, “We’re down to two Hispanic members.”
Dornheim said council members are also an aging group, while young people make up the fastest growing group of new infections. So committee members ages 21-45 are needed to make sure the needs of people within that age group are addressed.
The transgender community, which has among the highest HIV infection rate per capita, is also under-represented on the committee.
To join, Dornheim said, you don’t need to be a medical professional. Nor do you need to be HIV-positive. People who work for an agency or hospital that provides medical or other care to people with HIV may join but are prevented from participating on certain committees. That’s to avoid even the appearance of them directing money to programs their agency offers.
The Ryan White program was named for a teenager who contracted HIV at the age of 13 after receiving a blood transfusion. He fought AIDS-related discrimination in school and testified about it before Congress. He died a month before his high school graduation and several months before Congress passed the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act.
Today, the Ryan White CARE Act, as it’s come to be known, provides money for medication, PrEP and related services for people living with HIV.
Dornheim explained that administration of services is different in various councils throughout the U.S. The 12-county area in the Dallas Council also includes Collin, Cooke, Denton, Ellis, Fannin, Grayson, Henderson, Hunt, Kaufman, Navarro and Rockwall counties, and is administered by Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins.
Houston’s Ryan White funds, Dornheim said, are administered by that city’s mayor.
There are seven councils in Texas. Fort Worth’s planning council includes Tarrant County and counties west of there.
New members may join a committee before they are appointed to the full council by Jenkins. Someone indicating an interest in joining a committee would apply on the website and be interviewed by members of the council.
Committees include Allocations, the committee that decides what programs within the area should be funded. Dornheim said the committee doesn’t decide who would get the money. That is left to the administrative agency. “We don’t deal with providers,” Dornheim said. “We decide categories.”
The Consumer Council Committee puts on forums. Next month’s topic is HIV and mental health, for example.
The Needs Assessment Committee decides whether new services should be funded. For example, as people living with HIV are living longer, what new concerns do they encounter? Should vision care or hearing be included in what’s provided to people with HIV?
The Evaluation Committee reviews programs that have been funded and determines how effective they have been.
Annually, the Dallas Ryan White Council, which is funded with state as well as federal dollars, is responsible for $23-24 million dollars in funding.
“That,” Dornheim said, “is a lot of money to have control over.” He said he needs additional people to help with that process, and he hopes people wouldn’t be intimidated by that task.
“We need knowledgable people and people who care,” he said. “It affects a lot of lives.”
Dornheim said they’re not necessarily looking for people with experience in HIV care, although people with experience are welcome to join. What they need, he stressed, are “people who are willing to listen, learn and spend time.”
Council meetings and committee meetings are monthly, and each meeting lasts an hour to an hour and a half. Some people serve on more than one committee.
To join, visit DallasCounty.org/departments/rwpc and click on the link Membership Application.
