AMPATH HIV Care Expands to New Counties

AMPATH’s highly successful HIV prevention, care and treatment program recently expanded to now serve a population of approximately 8 million Kenyans.

AMPATHPlus staff provide health information at a recent event promoting HIV testing and treatment.

Earlier this year, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) granted an extension and expansion of the AMPATH Plus contract to provide care and treatment for HIV, increasing the number of people in AMPATH’s care to more than 150,000 Kenyans across 55 sub-counties within ten counties.

Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital is the primary recipient of current funds, making it the largest President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) award directed to an African institution.

The extension added Vihiga and Kakamega Counties as well as three additional sub-counties in Busia County to the AMPATH Plus program. AMPATH Plus will work with local providers to provide testing, counseling and treatment in some of the new service areas.

More than 800 facilities will now provide some level of HIV care throughout AMPATH’s service areas, an expansion from approximately 500 facilities previously. Care services can range from providing HIV testing, to antiretroviral therapy for the prevention of mother to child transmission, to clinics staffed with AMPATH clinical officers and nurses, to comprehensive HIV clinics providing integrated care and treatment.

In addition to HIV care, facilities providing integrated chronic disease care operate in Uasin Gishu, Bungoma, Busia, Trans Nzoia, Nandi (Mosoriot facility) and Kisumu (Chulaimbo facility) Counties. AMPATH oncology programs span a total of 17 counties with services including integrated care for breast and cervical cancer as well as hypertension and diabetes in some locations.

The AMPATH partnership has received funding support from PEPFAR through USAID for more than 15 years. The AMPATH Plus contract extension is in effect through December 2019.