SACRAMENTO ELIGIBLE METROPOLITAN AREA (EMA)

EL DORADO, PLACER, AND SACRAMENTO COUNTIES

HIV/AIDS Information and Referral

1-888-259-4HIV (4448)

The Sacramento Regional Eligible Metropolitan Area (EMA) is located in central California, and consists of Sacramento, El Dorado and Placer Counties. The EMA has both urban and rural characteristics and is geographically, racially, and ethnically diverse with variations in each County. Sacramento County is an urban community of more than one million residents, compared to the rural quality of both El Dorado and Placer Counties.

Geography

Geographically the Sacramento EMA reaches from the central northeast corner where California "bends" to the northern edge of the Central San Joaquin Valley. The area is bounded by the state of Nevada to the east and part of the fertile Sacramento Valley to the San Francisco Bay Area to the West. The area represents 4,287 square miles or about three percent of the state, encompassing the scenic mountain ranges of the Sierra Nevada, the Sierra foothills, and the agriculturally rich Sacramento Valley.

The geography of this EMA presents unique challenges to efficient delivery of health care and support services to individuals with HIV/AIDS. In the rural counties, the rugged terrain, harsh winter weather, and reliance on winding two lane highways and secondary roads create transportation obstacles that make access to services difficult. The absence of public transportation in the rural areas forces individuals to rely solely on the automobile (which is expensive both to maintain and keep fueled) and may require up to two hours to get to services when road conditions are poor.

Specialized services for HIV/AIDS are centrally located in Sacramento County, where there is the highest concentration of people living with HIV/AIDS in the EMA. Sacramento County is a sprawling urban and suburban community that accounts for more than 90 percent of the AIDS cases in the EMA. Thus, the EMA represents both urban and rural trends nationally and presents the challenges for service delivery that are associated with both types of communities.

The EMA currently is operating on a three-year cycle from 2005/2008 (ending February 28, 2008). If you are interested in applying as a service provider to persons living with HIV/AIDS, please feel free to leave your name, address, and contact number with the County of Sacramento; Public Health Division at (916) 875-5881 and we will be happy to add your organizational name to the list of potential bidders. The RFP will be available online for ease in downloading or may be mailed to you. The next RFP cycle is expected to be in the fall of 2007 (October).