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Due to federal funding reductions,
Massachusetts has cut $1.25 million for HIV testing and education in county
jails and houses of correction. Sheriffs warn the decision will eliminate HIV
educator positions, curb HIV testing, and end the monitoring of inmates by
infectious-disease experts. The cuts, effective July 1, will not affect state
prisons.
“I’m very concerned,” said Thomas M.
Hodgson, Bristol County’s sheriff. “We want them to be tested for HIV because
they need to be aware if they have it, and, number two, how to manage it.”
The federal cuts are being phased in
over five years, but already Massachusetts has slashed $2.3 million. That has
led to the elimination of eight positions in the state HIV/AIDS office, HIV
testing campaigns, and training for and some contracts with community-based service
providers.
“The decision to reduce these
services is driven by the loss of funding, not the quality of the services,”
said Kevin Cranston, director of the state Bureau of Infectious Diseases.
Jails tended to have higher
HIV-positive rates when injecting drug use was a more common route of
infection, Cranston said, but new cases are increasingly seen among men who
have sex with men. Public health officials are asking HIV prevention groups to
provide outreach in jails; however, many of these providers are financially
stressed themselves, he said.
In one instance, the HIV diagnosis
of an inmate led public health officials to track down eight other HIV cases
among his non-incarcerated contacts, said Matthew Robitaille, HIV coordinator
for the Bristol County sheriff’s office, whose position likely will be
eliminated.
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.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
