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On Monday, the Kentucky Department for Public Health announced it had eliminated a waiting list for the state AIDS Drug Assistance Program. The number of clients seeking ADAP services grew during the recession, as it is a "payer of last resort," said Sigga Jagne, Kentucky's HIV/AIDS program manager. The state initiated the waiting list in June 2009 so it could continue covering patients already receiving treatment through ADAP, she said.The state cut the waiting list through a one-time $1.7 million federal supplement and $1.4 million in program cost cuts. ADAP will use more generics rather than name-brand drugs, lower the fees it pays pharmacists who dispense the drugs, and remove medicines from the formulary that are obtainable by other means.
The majority of ADAP's $12.5 million budget for this fiscal year is from federal funding and drug company rebates, Jagne said. With the addition of 306 HIV/AIDS patients formerly on the waiting list, Kentucky's ADAP now provides treatment to nearly 1,500 residents. That is a doubling of clients from five years ago, said Dr. Kraig Humbaugh, the state epidemiologist.
About 20 new patients apply for Kentucky's ADAP each month, Jagne said. At current levels of demand and resources, the program will be financially sound through fiscal year 2012, Humbaugh said, though he added that maintaining ADAP services without a waiting list will continue to be a challenge.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
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