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At a forum in Washington sponsored
by AIDS In America, advocates called on federal and state governments to expand
resources to combat the disease in the United States. Government data show that
1.2 million Americans are HIV-positive, and the rate of new infections has held
steady for roughly a decade.
Julie Scofield, executive director
of the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors, believes that
federal and state funding have not kept pace with the need for AIDS education,
prevention, testing, and treatment. CDC estimates that only 40 percent of
HIV-positive people in the US are getting continued health care. Further, 2,000
people in nine states remain on waiting lists for help from AIDS Drug
Assistance Programs.
Ronald Johnson, of AIDS United,
pointed out that the expansion of Medicare and Medicaid in the Affordable Care
Act could benefit the more than 50 percent of HIV patients who receive
treatment through these programs. However, several Republican governors have
said they will opt out of the ACA’s Medicaid expansion.
With the 19th International AIDS
Conference being held in Washington in two weeks, advocates - including Carl
Schmid, deputy executive director at the AIDS Institute - hope for a renewed
focus on combating AIDS. “Society has turned its attention away from this
epidemic,” he said. “With more HIV in our country than ever before, it is
imperative that we raise our country’s consciousness.”
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!
