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Advocates Gather at Governor Paterson's Office
to Demand No Further Cuts to AIDS Services
New York City — On August 15th, over 200 people living with HIV/AIDS, service providers and their allies participated in a rally at Governor Paterson's NYC office, demanding that he spare HIV/AIDS prevention and services in the next round of state budget cuts set to take place next week. Paterson has proposed a $1 billion cut to the state budget and has indicated that no program is safe.
The CDC just released new incidence reports indicating that new HIV infections in the U.S. increased 40% from the original estimate, with 56,300 new infections in 2006. With an increase in the number of infections, programs that reach people at risk should not be sacrificed to save money.
Despite the fact that officials knew the CDC was to announce the new higher estimate, both the State and City voted to cut drastically HIV prevention funding, meaning that those at risk will stay at risk.
Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC) is particularly concerned about the impact of the proposed State budget cuts on black and Latino communities where the rise in new HIV diagnoses is greatest. These communities are already undeserved and would be most vulnerable to the severe reductions.
In addition to prevention, millions of dollars in cuts have been made to HIV/AIDS services, meaning that those living with HIV/AIDS will not have the support they need to live healthy lives. The organizations that serve the community will have to curtail valuable and much-needed programs, such as nutrition and meals, legal services, mental health care and support, and substance abuse treatment and prevention.
As Governor Paterson and the State legislature meet soon to finalize another round of cuts, we call for them to keep HIV/AIDS services funding intact.
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Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC) is a not-for-profit, volunteer-supported and community-based organization committed to national leadership in the fight against AIDS. We provide prevention and care services to more than 15,000 men, women and families that are living with, or affected by, HIV/AIDS in New York City, and advocate for scientific, evidence-based public health solutions for hundreds of thousands worldwide.
© 2008 Gay Men's Health Crisis
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