Willett Public Affairs is pleased to announce that Senior Vice President Matthew Lesieur has been appointed by Mayor Bill de Blasio to a three-year term on the HIV Health and Human Services Planning Council of New York. This body is responsible for identifying gaps in HIV care and allocating over $93 million in federal Ryan White dollars to address those gaps. Please join us in celebrating Mr. Lesieur’s appointment!
For Immediate Release
Mayor Bill de Blasio Appoints Matthew Lesieur to the HIV Health and Human Services Planning Council of New York
Lesieur Set To Focus Efforts On The Delivery Of Superior Services For Better Health And Quality of Life For People Living With HIV/AIDS
NEW YORK, NY. – October 18, 2021 New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has appointed Matthew Lesieur, senior vice president of Willett Public Affairs, to the HIV Health and Human Services Planning Council of New York (The Planning Council) for a three-year term.
Lesieur joins the 50-person strong Planning Council that will collaborate and oversee a budget of $93.9 million made available from Part A of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act. The Planning Council’s objective is to ensure that the quality continuum of care services needed by HIV/AIDS patients is planned for, organized, and delivered. Their jurisdiction stretches across the New York Eligible Metropolitan Area (EMA), including New York City’s five boroughs, and Westchester, Rockland, and Putnam Counties.
“I am excited and honored to be appointed to the council. I will be working with other Council members to help develop priorities for how federal Ryan White HIV dollars are allocated locally,” said Lesieur. “The role of the Council, the important work it does to help identify gaps in the HIV care delivery system, and the mitigation of areas of weakness is an essential priority for me. I will be drawing on my extensive experience in public affairs, healthcare, HIV policy consulting and working in HIV/AIDS organizations to contribute to a cause I care deeply about.”
The Planning Council’s work is critically important. In the New York EMA alone there are more than 100,000 people living with HIV/AIDS and the area remains the epicenter of the HIV epidemic in the United States.
“While there has been significant progress in the provision of HIV medical care and making advanced life-extending treatment regimens available to many, we know that basic needs are still not being met for many people living with HIV/AIDS in the EMA and the tri-county areas,” adds Lesieur. “Without meeting these needs, the full potential of benefits offered by medical care and treatment programs may not be realized, and this is where The Planning Council can really make a difference.”
Lesieur brings significant experience and deep insights to The Planning Council. In his current capacity at Willett Public Affairs, Lesieur is Executive Director of iHealth, a statewide coalition of community-based organizations that provides care management services to persons struggling with multiple chronic diseases, including living with HIV/AIDS in the New York Medicaid Health Home program. Previously, Lesieur served as Director of Public Policy at VillageCare, a leading New York City-based, multi-platform, non-profit health care provider that offers services to the frail, elderly and persons living with HIV/AIDS, and other chronic, complex medical conditions. At VillageCare he coordinated the implementation of local, state and national policies and programs that impacted the lives of persons living with complex health conditions.
In addition, he served as the Vice President of Public Policy at the National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA); the Director of Public Policy for the New York AIDS Coalition, an advocacy group that represents over 150 community-based AIDS service providers throughout New York State; and Administrator for the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, where he managed the City’s $60 million HOPWA program.
Planning Council members include HIV service providers, consumers of Ryan White services, persons living with HIV, and representatives of community-based organizations and grassroots individuals interested in the needs of persons living with HIV/AIDS. Members of the Council represent people living with HIV/AIDS, as well as the public, funded service providers, and other health and social service organizations. Planning Council members work to identify how people living with HIV/AIDS can receive better care including which services are required, how much of their budget should be assigned to each service, as well as the value and quality of the services received.
The Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act of 1990 was established to help cities, states, and local organizations to provide services to persons living with HIV.
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Willett Public Affairs (Willett) is a respected and battle-tested government relations and public affairs firm for businesses and trade associations seeking to impact public policy in New York. Willett provides a broad range of consulting services including state and city lobbying, grants and project funding, contract procurement, political intelligence, strategic planning, and land use consulting. Willett acts as an advocate for its clients on key legislative and regulatory issues, and procures valuable state and local contracts for clients' goods and services. For more information: https://www.willettpublicaffairs.com
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