Treatment GuideJust DiagnosedSex & DatingAfrican AmericanStigmaAsk the HIV DocPrEP En EspañolNewsVoicesPrint IssueVideoOut 100
CONTACTCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2025 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
Scroll To Top
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
The District of Columbia's largest needle-exchange program, Prevention Works, has been dealing with a cash crunch for several months, despite new city funding opportunities. The federal ban on the district using its funds for NEPs was lifted in 2007. Until then, Prevention Works had to rely on private donors and philanthropic grants. The agency offers injection-drug users services from its northeast Washington headquarters and from a mobile unit.
Despite receiving $1 million in city funding over the past three years, Prevention Works is nearly out of money. Lower-than-expected private donations have left Prevention Works several hundred thousand dollars short of its $1 million annual budget, says Philip Terry, its executive director since late 1988. Over the summer, Terry says he had to deplete the contingency fund to meet payroll and replenish supplies.
Just after Thanksgiving, Prevention Works ran out of rubber gloves, antibiotic ointment, and the diabetic needles its clients prefer to use. On at least one occasion, clients were turned away without sterile syringes, interviews and records show. In November the group lacked enough money to make its payroll and notified the city of its troubles. The district eventually helped with a $27,000 payment. Prevention Works is also expecting $300,000 in annual contributions from private foundations in early 2010, according to Terry.
Under a previous executive director hired to oversee its expansion, Prevention Works failed to submit applications for new AIDS grants, former employees say. Though Terry notes that independent audits of the agency have been clean, the recent financial problems are alienating some longtime supporters, including vendors and contractors who have gone unpaid.
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Lexi Love comes out as HIV+ after Trump deletes federal resources
January 23 2025 11:23 AM
Ricky Martin delivers showstopping performance for 2024 World AIDS Day
December 05 2024 12:08 PM
Trump's orders prompt CDC to erase HIV resources
January 31 2025 5:29 PM
California confirms first case of even more deadly mpox strain
November 18 2024 3:02 PM
This long-term HIV survivor says testosterone therapy helped save his life.
December 16 2024 8:00 PM
Plus: Featured Video
Latest Stories
HRC holds 'die-in' to protest Trump health care cuts
April 28 2025 2:11 PM
The Talk Season 5 premieres this spring with HIV guidance for the newly diagnosed
March 26 2025 1:00 PM
Jess King is here to help you live your happiest, healthiest life yet
March 24 2025 4:35 PM
Gerald Garth is keeping people of color happy and healthy through trying times
March 11 2025 3:38 PM
'RuPaul's Drag Race' star Trinity K Bonet quietly comes out trans
December 15 2024 6:27 PM
Hollywood must do better on HIV representation
December 01 2024 9:00 AM
Post-election blues? Some advice from mental health experts
November 08 2024 12:36 PM
Two right-wing Supreme Court justices signal they may uphold access to PrEP and more
April 21 2025 4:10 PM
500,000 Children at Risk: PEPFAR Funding Crisis
April 08 2025 3:51 PM
Discover the power of Wellness in your life
March 26 2025 12:41 PM
BREAKING NEWS: Trump admin moves to end federal HIV prevention programs
March 18 2025 6:10 PM
Celebrating Black History Month with our annual African American issue
February 01 2025 3:28 PM
Plus nominated for 2025 GLAAD Media Award
January 22 2025 12:42 PM
AIDS Memorial Quilt displayed at White House for the first time
December 02 2024 1:21 PM
Broadway's best raise over $1 million for LGBTQ+ and HIV causes
April 03 2025 7:15 PM
Season 4 of The Switch on resilience & radical self-love returns this spring
March 26 2025 12:20 PM
Tyler TerMeer vows to continue to fight for health care for all
January 28 2025 3:00 PM
A camp for HIV-positive kids is for sale. Here's why its founder is celebrating
January 02 2025 12:21 PM
Decades of progress, uniting to fight HIV/AIDS
December 01 2024 12:30 PM
Climate change is disrupting access to HIV treatment
November 25 2024 11:05 AM