Hillary Clinton Recognizes National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

[journalist3072]

2/7/2008

Hillary Clinton Recognizes National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

Underscores Her Plan to Fight HIV/AIDS Plaguing the African-American Community
On the seventh annual observance of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, Senator Clinton underscored her commitment to fight HIV/AIDS at home and abroad, and to reduce the disproportionate burden of HIV/AIDS in communities of color. HIV/AIDS is a worldwide epidemic and impacts tens of thousands of Americans each year. Although the disease knows no color or ethnicity, it continues to strike African-Americans at alarming rates. While African Americans make up only 13% of the U.S. population, they account nearly half of new HIV and AIDS diagnoses each year. And AIDS is the leading cause of death among African American women age 25-34.

Senator Clinton’s domestic and global HIV/AIDS plan, announced in November 2007, outlines a comprehensive approach to combating HIV/AIDS through prevention, education, and access to treatment.

"I am committed to making HIV awareness and prevention a priority and to working toward an eventual cure," said Senator Clinton. "We must double research funding, increase treatment and prevention programs, and encourage family and friends to become educated and tested to help stop the spread of HIV and AIDS. I will work tirelessly to combat this deadly disease and to finally get serious about reducing the disproportionate burden HIV/AIDS imposes on the African American community." she concluded.

-snip-

HILLARY CLINTON'S PLAN TO FIGHT HIV/AIDS IN THE U.S.

With a coordinated and comprehensive effort, Senator Clinton knows we can significantly reduce the number of new HIV infections annually and help provide coordinated care and treatment to Americans currently living with HIV/AIDS.

As President, Hillary will combat HIV/AIDS in the U.S. by:

Developing and implementing a Comprehensive National AIDS Strategy;

Guaranteeing health insurance for every single person living with HIV/AIDS as part of a commitment to truly universal healthcare;

Halting and reversing the burden of AIDS among African-Americans by increasing funding for the Minority AIDS Initiative and supporting community-based programs.

Increasing funding for the Ryan White CARE Act;

Doubling the U.S. contribution towards researching a vaccine for HIV/AIDS and increasing commitments to research;

Ensuring access to care for all Americans living with HIV;

Increasing funding for evidence-based HIV/AIDS prevention;

Addressing high risk behaviors that often lead to HIV/AIDS;

Improving opportunities for substance abuse treatment;

Providing housing opportunities and supportive services for people with AIDS;

This plan builds on Hillary's long history of working to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

As Senator, she has introduced legislation to expand access to treatment for low-income individuals living with HIV; pushed to make scientific, evidence-based prevention programs more available to youth; sought to increase coordination in combating global AIDS; championed legislation to provide universal basic education that would help prevent the spread of AIDS, and consistently supported increased funding for federal efforts against the epidemic both in the U.S. and around the world.

Source: http://www.hillaryclinton.com/news/release/view/?id=5782

[rodeodance]

1. thanks

[Deja Q]

2. Sounds lovely, but as with all the other programs, esp. the health insurance one,

how will they be paid for?

Jobs. Economy. Without those to keep our part of the global economy running, it's all just a pricey pipe dream. :(

I'd ask Obama of the same details too. Jobs/economy is the core issue. It's as simple as that.

[Bluebear]

3. Oh yes, let's make SURE we can afford this. Nice to do versus need to do, eh?

:eyes:

[NMMNG]

7. Let's just kill everyone over 40 and be done with it

They're no good for military service and probably not going to push out any more babies so why bother with them? Same for anybody who can't "contribute" to society or who has excessive needs of any kind.



:sarcasm:

[journalist3072]

4. One of the things she has constantly talked about, is being able to pay for her programs, by ending

the war in Iraq. She has said that once we no longer have troops in Iraq...that will bring an infusion of money.

[Deja Q]

5. Except isn't it true all that money we're spending for Iraq has contributed to the deficit build-up?

Now I will readily admit I don't have the solid numbers in front of me... but it's also true taking care of our own, even the stupid (which includes me for not exercising as much as I should...), would cost a hell of a lot less than the Iraq war...

So maybe she's not all smoke and mirrors after all.

[Bluebear]

8. Well, you crunch your numbers & let us know if this is something we can afford as a society.

[madeline_con]

6. NBCC Letter to Hillary Rodham Clinton

NBCC Letter to Hillary Rodham Clinton
July 11, 2007

The Honorable Hillary Clinton
United States Senate
428 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator Clinton:

I watched the June 28th Democratic presidential candidates’ debate at Howard University with great interest, and in particular I wanted to address your comments about HIV/AIDS.

I found it interesting that you chose a presidential debate, held before a largely African American audience, to speak out on the fact that HIV/AIDS funding does not fairly reach African Americans with HIV. I only wish you had voted the same way last year in the United States Senate, when we really needed you.

In fact, as was reported in the Washington Post on August 23, 2006, you led the effort to gut provisions in the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Modernization Act of 2006 (S. 2823) which would have fixed the increasingly unfair and outdated formulas that hurt African Americans, particularly in the rural South. The bipartisan remedy to this problem, which would have ensured funding would follow the caseload instead of short-changing African Americans, had been supported by 19 of the 20 Senators on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee – and you were the lone “no” vote.
I was stunned to see you, less than a year later, performing before a black audience as if you had led the fight for these changes instead of being the lone warrior against them. Indeed, due to your efforts, these desperately needed remedies had to be cut from the bill or you would not have allowed the Ryan White program to be renewed.

African Americans have overtaken every other ethnic group to become the face of HIV/AIDS in America, and we all have a duty to ensure that every black American living with HIV/AIDS has equal access to the care and support services needed from the federal Ryan White CARE Act to stay healthy and stay alive.

I am glad that at least now, unlike last year, you recognize that women of color in the South are 26 times more likely to be HIV-positive than white females. But thanks to your determined fight against reforms last year, a large portion of Ryan White CARE Act funding is still set aside for large metropolitan areas, and most of the states in the South will never qualify for it. African Americans make up 19% of the South’s population, but accounted for over 60% of all new AIDS cases in 2003. Eight southern states have had to treat the same number of people with HIV/AIDS as other states which have gotten more funding under the outdated formulas. You blocked the changes we needed to fix that.

In fact, as Congressional action dragged on without resolution last year, three people died in South Carolina among some 300 HIV/AIDS patients sitting on an AIDS Drug Assistance Program waiting list at the time because the state’s Ryan White funding had once again run out too early.

It is distressing to see the person who single-handedly defeated the most recent effort to get equitable HIV/AIDS funding formulas for African Americans appear today as if she is their greatest champion. Sadly, our community has seen far too much pandering in presidential campaigns and far too little getting delivered that will make a difference for all of us, no matter where we live.

African Americans with HIV/AIDS need visionary leaders with innovative ideas. We need someone who will finally win the fight to make health care funding follow the need in this country, instead of leaving entire communities out in the cold. We don’t need ever-changing candidates who know how to pander, but don’t know how to lead.

I respectfully ask that you bolster your newfound enthusiasm for correcting the growing disparities in HIV/AIDS funding by actively working to undo the damage of your efforts last year. If you’re truly seeking to lead, please introduce new legislation that would ensure that the Title I funding formulas in the Ryan White CARE Act follow the HIV/AIDS caseload with no more unfair set-asides and end the injustice that has cost lives and harmed the nation’s integrity.

Sincerely,

Harry Alford
President/CEO


cc: The Honorable Barack Obama


http://www.nationalbcc.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=450&Itemid=121