About the Planning Council
WHO IS RYAN WHITE? | THE RYAN WHITE PROGRAM | WHAT IS THE PLANNING COUNCIL? | PLANNING COUNCIL MEMBERS | WHAT IS THE TIME COMMITMENT REQUIRED? | HOW TO BE APPOINTED TO THE PLANNING COUNCIL | WHAT COMMITTEES CAN I JOIN? | WHO LEADS THE PLANNING COUNCIL? | WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF JOINING THE PLANNING COUNCIL? | HOW DO I APPLY? | UPCOMING MEETINGS I MEETING MINUTES | POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
Ryan White was diagnosed with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) on December 17, 1984. He was one of the first children, and one of the first hemophiliacs to come down with AIDS. This was a time where there was no education and little information on AIDS.
When Ryan was diagnose
d, he was given 3-6 months to live. His mother worried that every cough, every fever, was going to be his last. No one expected Ryan to become healthy enough to return to school, but after a while he was ready. Unfortunately, the school system was not as ready for his return. It took a year and a half of court hearings and proceedings before Ryan was allowed to return to school. Ryan and his mother Jeanne White Ginder fought for his right to attend school, and their courageous fight against AIDS-related discrimination helped educate the nation about HIV/AIDS.
Ryan White had been diagnosed with AIDS at age 13. He died April 8, 1990 at the age of 18. Four months after his death, Congress passed the AIDS bill that bears his name – The Ryan White CARE (Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency) Act. The legislation has been reauthorized four times since and is referred to locally as the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program. Ryan’s legacy is that all people living with HIV/AIDS today can now have access to getting medical care, treatment, and medications to help them live longer and healthier lives.
The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) provides a comprehensive system of care that includes primary medical care and essential support services for people living with HIV who are either uninsured or underinsured. It is the third largest Federal program serving people living with HIV; only Medicare and Medicaid programs are larger. Ryan White is a payer of last resort.
The Program serves as an important source of ongoing access to HIV medication that can enable PWH to live close to normal lifespans. This Program works with local community-based organizations to provide HIV care and treatment services to more than 5,000 people in Northeast Florida.
Since 1995, the Jacksonville area has received over $100 million in Ryan White Part A funds which has paid for doctor’s visits, labs, dental visits, case management, legal services, food banks, medications, and a host of other services.
The Ryan White Part A funds are managed by the Ryan White Part A Administrative Agency. The Administrative Agency is a Program of the City of Jacksonville Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department, Social Services Division. The Ryan White Part A Administrative Staff works alongside the Metropolitan Jacksonville Area HIV Services Health Planning Council (Planning Council) Program Support Aide. The Program Support Aide is a staff member of the Social Services Division who supports all activities of the Planning Council.
The Metropolitan Jacksonville Area HIV Health Services Planning Council
The Metropolitan Jacksonville Area HIV Health Services Planning Council or Planning Council is a group of diverse community members who work to improve the availability, accessibility, and quality of HIV/AIDS health services. The Planning Council members participate in processes including identifying community needs, assessing the capacity to meet those needs, allocating resources, and resolving conflicts.
Ryan White Planning Councils are unique; there is no other federal health or human services program that legislatively requires a local planning body to make decisions about how funds will be used. And to make sure the voices of people living with HIV are heard, each Planning Council is required to have at least 33% of its members be clients who are not employed by an agency receiving Ryan White funding.
A Planning Council is not a club or group that someone ‘joins’. Prospective members are either recommended by someone, or apply on their own to the city or county’s chief elected official to be considered for an appointment. In the Jacksonville Transitional Grant Area (TGA), the chief elected official is the Mayor of the City of Jacksonville. These individuals can be from Clay, Duval, Nassau or St. Johns County.
Planning Council Members are appointed by the Mayor of the City of Jacksonville to represent a particular demographic.
Each member of the Planning Council represents a particular seat:
| Ryan White Part A Client |
Representative of Formerly Incarcerated PLWH |
| Community Based or AIDS Service Organization |
Local Public Health Agency |
| Social Service Provider |
Medicaid Agency (AHCA) |
| Mental Health Provider |
Part B Grantee |
| Substance Abuse Provider |
Part C Grantee |
| Health Care Provider |
Part D Grantee |
| Hospital or Health Care Planning Agency |
Non-Elected Community Leader |
| Other Federal HIV Programs (incl. Prevention) |
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Planning Council and Associate Members must attend 10 Planning Council Meetings each year, along with attending meetings of at least one committee. Time commitments average 6 hours a month depending on how many committees a member participates on.
To be considered for Planning Council Membership individuals must:
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Attend 2 Planning Council meetings and 1 committee meeting in the 3 months prior to submitting an application,
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Attend the Membership Educational Training (MET) class for orientation,
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Submit a membership application,
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Join and commit to a committee,
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Be interviewed by the Member Committee,
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Be recommended by the Membership Committee to the Planning Council for membership, and
- Be approved by the Planning Council and recommended to the Mayor for appointment.
The committees do the hard work of the Planning Council. You do not have to be a member of the Planning Council to participate in the Committee Meetings. However, members of the Planning Council are required to participate in at least one committee. Each committee has a Chair who is a member of the Planning Council. These individuals guide the committees through activities to fulfill the mission of the Planning Council and its committees.
Community Connections
The mission of this committee is to educate, advocate, support, and empower all Person’s Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH) in Northeast Florida. This committee is open to people living with HIV, to those who have been affected by HIV in some way, and to health care providers and agencies assisting PLWH’s.
Priority and Allocations Committee
This committee is the client and community voice in decision making about medical and support services to be funded with the Ryan White Part A funds. The committee takes the needs of the PLWH community and puts a monetary value to it. Additionally, the committee may be called to reallocate funding as needed throughout the year.
Continuum of Care Coordination Committee
The Comprehensive Plan is the strategic plan for the Jacksonville TGA. The Integrated Comprehensive Plan identifies and addresses the most significant HIV needs of the PLWH and maximizes coordination, integration and linkage across all community partners.
TEAM Committee
The TEAM Committee reviews applications and identifies possible candidates for the Planning Council. Additionally, the committee reviews the eligibility of members to run for Planning Council office, conducts the nomination process and the annual election of officers.
Bylaws Committee
This committee reviews and updates the Planning Council bylaws, policies, and procedures.
There are three elected officials who preside over the Planning Council. These individuals are elected by the Planning Council Members in January of each year.
2024 Chair: Dan Merkan
The Planning Council Chair is elected by the Planning Council in January of each year. The Chair is the representative of the Planning Council to the Mayor of the City of Jacksonville, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and other interested parties. This individual appoints the Chair of each Planning Council Committee and is the Chair of the Executive Committee.
2024 Vice Chair: Heather Thacker
The Vice Chair can serve in the place of the Planning Council Chair if necessary. This individual records the attendance of the Planning Council members at the monthly meeting. Additionally, during votes involving money, the Vice Chair records roll call votes. The Vice Chair requests reports of expenditures and other resources on behalf of the Planning Council.
2024 Community Representative: Cedric Williams
The Community Representative brings client perspectives to the table by communicating a broad range of prevention and treatment issues to persons affected and infected by HIV. They also mentor newly appointed Planning Council members and participate in Community Connections Committee.
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Voice – Planning Council Members speak for the needs of the community
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Advocate – Speak on behalf of people in the community who are unable to speak for themselves.
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Decision Maker - Better understand where funding comes from and help decide where it goes.
- Pride – Passion for community needs can lead to higher self-esteem and ownership of the HIV issues in the community.
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If you are interested in participating in the Planning Council or would like more information:
Please contact the Metropolitan Jacksonville Area HIV Health Services PlanningCouncil at planningcouncil@coj.net or by calling 904-255-3346.
Interested in serving on the Planning Council, nominees should fill out the application and email it to bjoiner@coj.net.
Planning-Council-Application-fillable.pdf
Meetings of the Planning Council are held at the Social Services Division Office at:
1809 Art Museum Drive, Suite 100
Jacksonville, FL 32207
To review the policies and procedures, please click the link below:
Metropolitan Jacksonville Area HIV Health Services Ryan White Planning Council Policies and Procedures
- Bylaws Committee: 1st Thursday, 2:00 pm
- Membership Committee: 2nd Wednesday, 2:00 pm
- Community Connections: 2nd Thursday, 12:00 pm
- Continuum of Care Coordination Committee (CCCC): 2nd Thursday, 2:00 pm
- Executive Committee: 3rd Tuesday, 2:00 pm
- Planning Council: 4th Thursday, 3:00
2021
2020
2019
This website is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $7,312,955. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit HRSA.gov.