BIENESTAR San Diego Condemn Governor’s $80.1 Million Cuts for HIV/AIDS

June 10, 2009 - PRLog -- BIENESTAR San Diego Condemn Governor’s $80.1 Million Cuts for HIV/AIDS  
           

BIENESTAR  condemned Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s wide-ranging proposal to eliminate general funding for virtually all of California's life-saving HIV/AIDS care and treatment programs from the state’s fiscal year 2009-2010 & projected 2010-2011 budget. The 2010 proposed $80.1 million cuts to state funding for HIV/AIDS care and prevention, which would take effect July 1, 2009, came just days after the governor announced plans to terminate the state’s entire $24.6 million HIV prevention portfolio as a cost-saving measure. The cuts will likely have a profound effect on access to HIV prevention, testing, care and treatment for California residents while drastically cutting or eliminating dozens of state programs.

The latest budget plan, which would amount to a proposed $55.5 million cut for health care programs for Californians living with HIV/AIDS for 2009-2010, and a further projected $58.9 million cut for 2010-2011, endangers thousands of HIV-positive residents who depend on the state for supplementing their HIV/AIDS drug therapy, housing and other vital resources. The cuts could also affect California’s share of federal HIV/AIDS grants supporting prevention and treatment from the Ryan White CARE Act and the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which rely on federal matching dollars that are contingent on state HIV/AIDS funding.

Initiatives like the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), which provides HIV drug therapy to more than 34,000 low-income or uninsured Californians is faced with a 12 percent reduction in funding and elimination of state-funded prevention and education programs.  “Without this funding, these patients will not have medication. They will die. Make no mistake. Must we remind you of the days before the “cocktail” when over 95 percent of those infected with HIV/AIDS died? This is, literally, a matter of life and death for many Californians,” states Antonio Munoz of Bienestar.  

In a state where the population exceeds 37 million and an estimated 20 percent of HIV-positive Californians unaware of their HIV status places hundreds of thousands of Californians at risk, if not more. Therefore, state funding for HIV testing, a cornerstone of California’s HIV prevention efforts cannot be eliminated. In the latest surveillance report released by the State of California on HIV/AIDS for Q1, 2009, list the top three regions of the State most prevalent to HIV infection are Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego, with Southern California reporting greater than 50 percent of all new HIV/AIDS positive cases than other regions of the state. Within all regions of the state, Whites, Hispanic and African Americans are the three major groups most infected with HIV/AIDS followed by Asian and Pacific Islanders. Age groups illustrating the highest infection rate are 30-39, 20-29, and 40-49, with an alarming increase among senior citizens since the introduction of sexual enhancement drugs. Reported cases for Q1, 2009: HIV=1599, AIDS=583 (counts exclude cases diagnosed, but not yet reported as of March 31, 2009).

While advocates are busy lobbying state lawmakers, Californian residents are also urged to get involved. One initiative is a rally scheduled in San Diego and Sacramento on Wednesday, June 10, 2009.  People wishing to attend either rally are urged to wear red shirts or attire. Rally updates are accessible at www.befitgethealthy.com

San Diego, CA  
Date: Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Time: 3-15 PM
Location: State of California, Office Building
Address: 1350 Front St. (between A Street and Ash), San Diego, CA 92101

Sacramento, CA  
Date: Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Time: 1:30-3 PM
Location: State of California, Capital Building - North Steps


BIENSTAR is the largest Latino community-based organization in the United States committed to meeting the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS, and those most at risk for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STD). For more information about BIENESTAR, or to schedule an interview with Antonio Muñoz, please call 619-847-3031 or e-mail amunoz@bienestar.org

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The Doctors Club Preventive Health Group provides education, outreach and research for individuals at risk for HIV/AIDS, Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes, Obesity and Cancer. For additional information go to www.thedoctorsclub.net or www.befitgethealthy.com