Emory University officials say federal funding for a national HIV prevention program has been reinstated.

Since 2022, the Together TakeMeHome program has supplied more than a million free HIV home testing kits, but budget cuts in Washington, D.C., had left the program's future in the air.

"In the spring, we got a notification from the CDC that they may not continue our funding," Together TakeMeHome executive director Travis Sanchez said.

Now, thanks to the grant, they'll be able to continue providing resources to the community. The program is expected to run for two more years. It will receive $10 million in federal grants for the next fiscal year.

"The CDC didn't provide any explanation for why they decided to, you know, refund the program, other than what we know from close partnerships with the CDC, that they think very highly of the program and the impacts it's having," Sanchez said.

The importance of free access to HIV testing

AIDS advocate Dr. Daniel Driffin understands the challenges some people face to learn about their status.

He found out in 2009 that he was HIV positive.

"Thinking of myself, if you're living on a fixed income and you know the importance of testing and you have to pay $40 to $50, that's a sizeable piece of money, you know, out of a budget," Driffin said.

Testing at no cost helps a large number of people who may not have been able to know their status get the information and the care they need.

"Free testing is the entry to prevention. You know, it tells you whether or not you can either continue on to care if you're living with HIV, or it gives you options to pre-exposure prophylaxis or PREP," he said.

The future of other HIV research and prevention programs is still unclear.

You can learn more about the Together TakeMeHome program here.