| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
March 31, 2009
|
Media Contacts:
Krishna Stone, Assistant Director, Community Relations, 212-367-1016
GMHC EXPRESSES MIXED REACTION
TO NEW YORK STATE BUDGET
March 31, Albany, NY — The New York State Legislature is poised to pass, and the Governor is set to sign the budget for the 2009-2010 fiscal year. Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC) responds with a mixed reaction.
Last year, the State cut 10 percent of HIV/AIDS services funding. In this new budget, the Legislature restored some of the Governor's proposed cuts for community-based HIV/AIDS service organizations, yet fell short of full restoration. While certain areas of the budget, such as HIV prevention efforts for communities of color, are down significantly from the previous year's budgets, other areas were spared cuts and even increased.
Funding for legal services and supportive housing for people living with HIV/AIDS witnessed gains in the budget. These services combine to provide people living with HIV/AIDS some of the support needed to avoid risky behavior that may adversely affect their health and well being, as well as transmit infection in others. With the incidence of HIV/AIDS on the rise in particular communities — young gay men, women of color — it is vital that the budget reflect a comprehensive approach to combating the epidemic.
"GMHC understands the fiscal pressures facing New York. We had hoped that the State would see fit to fully restore funding cuts to HIV/AIDS services. However, we definitely see in the budget a continued commitment to ending the epidemic," said Sean Cahill, Ph.D., Managing Director of Public Policy, Research and Community Health of Gay Men's Health Crisis.
Additionally, there is one part of the budget that deserves special notice — its repeal of the Rockefeller-era drug laws adopted in the 1970s. GMHC joins many other advocates in support of repeal of the Rockefeller drug laws, spearheaded by Assemblyman Jeffrion Aubry and State Senator Eric Schneiderman. For too long many New Yorkers have been unfairly sentenced for minor, non-violent infractions and subsequently been torn from their families for several years without treatment for drug use and addiction.
The individuals most impacted by the Rockefeller drug laws are, by and large, racial minorities and people living in poverty — populations also at disproportionate risk for HIV infection. Incarceration has destabilized vital networks of family and community support for thousands of individuals, forcing them into high-risk environments without adequate access to HIV education or care. Those released from prison after long stays enter environments marked by instability and lacking the social networks enjoyed by most New Yorkers. Such environs often lead to high-risk behaviors simply to stay sheltered and to eat. Without strong support networks and reliable access to services, many are in danger of recidivism, further perpetuating the destabilization of families, the cycle of poverty, and the spread of HIV.
"Repeal of the Rockefeller drug laws will have a significant public health impact and will act as an important step in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Addressing our state's drug problem does not have to end with imprisonment. Restoring judicial discretion in sentencing and ending mandatory minimum sentencing will allow many New Yorkers to remain connected to supportive networks and help them curb high-risk behavior that puts them in danger of HIV infection," concluded Cahill.
* * *
About GMHC
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.
Our Mission: GMHC fights to end the AIDS epidemic and uplift the lives of all affected.
© 2009 Gay Men's Health Crisis |
home 
