Ryan White Care Act Title I Awards
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently announced
funding awards under Title I of the Ryan White CARE Act to the 51 Eligible
Metropolitan Areas (EMAs) most impacted by HIV/AIDS. The 51 awards totaled
$587.4 million. The New York EMA, which includes the five boroughs of New
York City and Westchester, Rockland, and Putnam counties, received a total
award of $117.9 million. The awards are for the program year that began
March 1.
Since its passage in 1990 and reauthorizations in 1996 and 2000, the
CARE Act has become the principal source of Federal funding for HIV/AIDS
treatment and care programs and services. Funds distributed under Title
I of the Act particularly have been essential in establishing solid infrastructures
for the delivery of HIV/AIDS treatment and care in metropolitan areas,
especially in communities of color. Title I funded programs in New York
City and nationwide have enabled thousands of people living with HIV/AIDS
to access the antiretroviral medications and support services that have
prolonged lives and lowered the number of AIDS-related deaths.
The importance of Title I to the response to the domestic HIV/AIDS
crisis underscores how disturbing is the trend of declining Federal
support for the domestic fight against HIV/AIDS, as reflected in decreased
funding for the CARE Act since FY 2002. This has resulted in decreased
funding for the New York EMA, and for a majority of EMAs across the country,
while the number of people living with HIV/AIDS and individual programs'
caseloads are rising.
This year's New York award of $117.9 million represents a loss of
$4.1 million (3.4%) from last year's award of $122 million. New York's
current award (FY 2005) essentially is at the same level as its award
in FY 2002 ($117.7 million). The reported number of people living with
HIV/AIDS in New York City, however, has increased nearly 10%, from
82,810 persons to 90,298 persons, between Dec. 31, 2002 and Mar. 31, 2004,
according to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
The infrastructure for treatment and care and the safety net for people
living with HIV/AIDS are being threatened seriously by the failure of
the administration and Congress to provide Federal funding that keeps
pace with the rising domestic epidemic. New York and other cities are
losing ground in the fight against HIV/AIDS, with women, low-income
individuals and families, and communities of color bearing the brunt
of declining support.
The budget process for FY 2006 is underway in Congress. President
Bush's Budget Request calls for level funding for the CARE Act., including
Title I, with the exception of a very small $10 million increase for the
AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP). GMHC and other advocates in the
HIV/AIDS community will work aggressively to deliver to Congress and
the administration the message that level funding is an effective cut
in funding and undermines the health, and the very lives, of people
living with HIV/AIDS in New York City and across the country.
© 2005 Gay Men's Health Crisis
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