Thursday, June 21, 2007
ADAP Under Fire Once Again:
By Phillip T. Alden – San Mateo Daily Journal
For publication – June 26, 2007
As a result of the hard work of AIDS activists in the 1980s Congress established the AIDS Drug Assistance Program, (ADAP.) It's also known as The Ryan White CARE Act, named after the young Florida boy whose heroic fight against stigma and hatred of People With AIDS (PWAs) changed the face of AIDS in America.
Against the wishes of AIDS activists and PWAs in general, ADAP was folded into the Medicare Part D drug program. It was thought at the time that the Bush Administration would use this change to cut even more funding for people with HIV, and unfortunately this is exactly what has happened.
The Bush Administration has not been a friend to AIDS patients and AIDS prevention programs. One of their first acts was to funnel millions of dollars from proven AIDS prevention programs like the Stop AIDS Project in San Francisco, to religious groups, in clear violation of the separation of powers act. These groups discarded the effective and proven comprehensive AIDS education programs and replaced them with misinformation about the value of condoms in preventing the spread of STDs. The harm done by these acts cannot be measured, but it's been shown that, under these groups, prevention efforts failed and infection rates went up.
Now they're at it again. A couple of weeks ago it was announced that ADAP funding in San Mateo County will be cut by 30%. This leaves the county with some ugly choices, and regardless of those choices, prevention and treatment will suffer.
While the federal government has funneled billions of dollars into corporations like Bechtel and KBR, they have also done their best to cut what little funding there is to help the weakest members of our society. There's no reason for this. Compared to the $750 Billion we annually spend on military-industrial projects and research, the cost of these life-saving domestic programs that benefit not only people with illnesses like AIDS and Hepatitis C, but everyone through improved public health, is a drop in the bucket.
USA Today reported this week that, thanks to the Bush Administration, our country has amassed 59 Trillion dollars in national debt, and this number continues to climb as we continue the occupation of Iraq. This is the economic legacy our children will inherit.
And now, with San Mateo County losing an additional 30% in badly needed funding for AIDS prevention and treatment, one has to question if good public health is a priority for our federal government. These types of destructive cuts to public health affects us all, rich and poor alike. Strong public health is essential for every country, essential for the health and well-being of all its citizenry.
We need to increase the amount of money we spend on programs like Medicaid and ADAP, and we need to move prevention and education funds back to the organizations that promote comprehensive education and prevention without a religious agenda. We need to strengthen the Centers for Disease Control, (CDC,) the Food and Drug Administration, (FDA,) and the Environmental Protection Agency, (EPA.)
A Pew Research Poll taken earlier this year showed that 76% of Americans view universal health care a priority for our country, and similar polls show strong support for robust and effective public health programs.
It's time to demand strong support and increased spending on domestic public health programs right now, for the welfare of all Americans.
By Phillip T. Alden – San Mateo Daily Journal
For publication – June 26, 2007
As a result of the hard work of AIDS activists in the 1980s Congress established the AIDS Drug Assistance Program, (ADAP.) It's also known as The Ryan White CARE Act, named after the young Florida boy whose heroic fight against stigma and hatred of People With AIDS (PWAs) changed the face of AIDS in America.
Against the wishes of AIDS activists and PWAs in general, ADAP was folded into the Medicare Part D drug program. It was thought at the time that the Bush Administration would use this change to cut even more funding for people with HIV, and unfortunately this is exactly what has happened.
The Bush Administration has not been a friend to AIDS patients and AIDS prevention programs. One of their first acts was to funnel millions of dollars from proven AIDS prevention programs like the Stop AIDS Project in San Francisco, to religious groups, in clear violation of the separation of powers act. These groups discarded the effective and proven comprehensive AIDS education programs and replaced them with misinformation about the value of condoms in preventing the spread of STDs. The harm done by these acts cannot be measured, but it's been shown that, under these groups, prevention efforts failed and infection rates went up.
Now they're at it again. A couple of weeks ago it was announced that ADAP funding in San Mateo County will be cut by 30%. This leaves the county with some ugly choices, and regardless of those choices, prevention and treatment will suffer.
While the federal government has funneled billions of dollars into corporations like Bechtel and KBR, they have also done their best to cut what little funding there is to help the weakest members of our society. There's no reason for this. Compared to the $750 Billion we annually spend on military-industrial projects and research, the cost of these life-saving domestic programs that benefit not only people with illnesses like AIDS and Hepatitis C, but everyone through improved public health, is a drop in the bucket.
USA Today reported this week that, thanks to the Bush Administration, our country has amassed 59 Trillion dollars in national debt, and this number continues to climb as we continue the occupation of Iraq. This is the economic legacy our children will inherit.
And now, with San Mateo County losing an additional 30% in badly needed funding for AIDS prevention and treatment, one has to question if good public health is a priority for our federal government. These types of destructive cuts to public health affects us all, rich and poor alike. Strong public health is essential for every country, essential for the health and well-being of all its citizenry.
We need to increase the amount of money we spend on programs like Medicaid and ADAP, and we need to move prevention and education funds back to the organizations that promote comprehensive education and prevention without a religious agenda. We need to strengthen the Centers for Disease Control, (CDC,) the Food and Drug Administration, (FDA,) and the Environmental Protection Agency, (EPA.)
A Pew Research Poll taken earlier this year showed that 76% of Americans view universal health care a priority for our country, and similar polls show strong support for robust and effective public health programs.
It's time to demand strong support and increased spending on domestic public health programs right now, for the welfare of all Americans.
# posted by Phillip T. Alden @ 7:28 PM 
