Effective HIV prevention interventions have been proven to reduce HIV transmission. People who get tested for HIV and learn that they are infected can make significant behavior changes to improve their health and reduce the risk of transmitting HIV to their sex or drug-using partners. Recent scientific advances have demonstrated that early initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) not only preserves the health of people living with HIV but also reduces their risk of transmitting HIV to others.¹

2018-2023

HIV continues to be an epidemic in New Jersey.  New Jersey has one of the highest estimated proportions of women living with HIV in the United States. Of new cases diagnosed in 2021 with a documented exposure category, over 90% of cases reported sexual contact as the mode of exposure to the HIV infection.  The proportion of persons exposed through injection drug use (IDU) is lower than in the past.

Projects

The mission of the Department's Division of HIV, STD, and TB Services (DHSTS) is to prevent and reduce the spread of HIV, STDs, and TB and to ensure that those infected and at risk of infection have access to the care they need. The DHSTS provides HIV counseling at local testing sites, administers the Rapid HIV Testing Program which is used to diagnose patients, and administers the AIDS Drug Distribution Program (ADDP) which provides life supporting and life sustaining medications. Free, confidential testing and treatment for STDs is made available throughout the state as well.

The Department has implemented a harm reduction program with the goal of stopping the spread of injection-related diseases through prevention programs including increasing access to supplies and providing necessary referrals to support services.

Policies

• In 2021, NJDOH released New Jersey’s Strategic Plan to End the HIV Epidemic by 2025 which aims to:
  • Reduce the number of new HIV infections by 75%.
  • Promote access to testing so 100% of individuals living with HIV/AIDS know their status.
  • Promote access/linkage to care so 90% of those diagnosed with HIV/AIDS are virally suppressed.

• New Jersey signed on to the Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U) campaign in 2018.

Legislation

On January 18, 2022, several important legislation bills were passed and signed into law, including:

• P.L.2021, c.409 repeals the statute that criminalizes sexual penetration while infected with a venereal disease or HIV under certain circumstances. Additionally, the bill requires that in prosecutions for endangering another by creating substantial risk of transmitting infectious disease, the name of the defendant and other individual be kept confidential. 
• P.L.2021, c.396 authorizes expanded provision of harm reduction services to distribute sterile syringes and provide certain support services to persons who use drugs intravenously.
• P.L.2021, c.403 permits expungement of possession or distribution of hypodermic syringe or needle offense in cases of previous expungement; repeals criminal offense of possession of syringe.

Outreach

• NJDOH’s Division of HIV, STD, and TB Services (DHSTS), in conjunction with Rutgers University – Robert Wood Johnson Medical School maintains a readily accessible statewide network of 100 HIV test sites, at which individuals may obtain free and confidential rapid HIV testing to both decrease the estimated percentage of New Jerseyans unaware of their HIV infections and increase the proportion of persons living with HIV (PLWH) linked to HIV care. Each year, the program tests approximately 60,000 persons.
• New Jersey Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Navigator Program is an initiative designed to provide status neutral support to individuals seeking access to PrEP for HIV prevention.
• DHSTS supports 24 Community Health Workers who facilitate communication with medical staff for their client’s needs and share personal experiences that they have encountered along the way to empower their client’s. 
• The Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS (HOPWA) program funding allows NJDOH to assist HIV+ individuals access safe and sanitary housing in the private rental market.
• The AIDS Drug Distribution Program (ADDP) provides free, life-sustaining, and life-prolonging HIV medications and other therapeutics to low-income individuals who have no other means to pay for medicines.  ADDP customers can apply for ADDP-funded Health Insurance Premium Payment (HIPP) program for assistance. 

Grants Given

• In 2023, 107 grants totaling nearly $42.5 million were given to hospitals, federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), research institutions, local governments, and other organizations in New Jersey.

Grants Received 

• PS22-2201: National HIV Behavioral Surveillance (NHBS) (January 2022 – December 2027)
• PS20-2005: Medical Monitoring Program (MMP) (June 2020 – May 2025)
• PS20-2010: Integrated HIV Programs for Health Departments to Support Ending the HIV Epidemic in the United States
• PS19-1906: Strategic Partnerships and Planning to Support Ending the HIV Epidemic in the United States (September 2019 – September 2024)
• PS18-1802: Integrated HIV Surveillance and Prevention Programs for Health Departments (January 1, 2018–December 31, 2022)
• HRSA-22-033: RyanWhite HIV/AIDS Program HIV Care Grant Program – Part B States/Territories Formula and AIDS Drug Assistance Program Formula and ADAP Supplemental Awards (September 2020 – September 2029)

Challenges

• Continued HIV-related stigma, even with prevention tools like PrEP, exist both within communities and among health care providers.
• Mental health among persons infected with HIV remains a significant barrier to medication adherence that impacts viral suppression.

Disparities/Inequities

• HIV diagnoses among gay and bisexual men rose from 53 percent of all reported cases in 2010 to 64 percent of cases in 2020.
• HIV diagnoses continue to disproportionately affect minority communities in New Jersey with 80 percent of new infections in 2021 being reported among persons who identify as Black or Hispanic.
• Between 2010 and 2020, HIV infections reported among persons who inject drugs dropped from 8 percent to 4 percent in New Jersey.

Final Assessment

• Four of the five HIV/AIDS targets were achieved by 2020.
• The proportion of HIV+ persons acheiving a surpressed viral load improved but the Healthy NJ 2020 target was not met.

For more information, please refer to these resources:

• NJDOH Division of HIV, STD, and TB Services
• CDC Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention
• HIV.gov
• Healthy People 2020
• Healthy People 2030

Reference:

1. HIV. Healthy People 2020. 10/8/20.