Health News
2006-03-11
Boston set to
lose $312,000 in Ryan White funds
Ryan White cut
comes before new funding guidelines could reduce grants
even further.
HIV serv
HIV service
providers in the greater Boston and southern New Hampshire
region are set to lose nearly $312,000 in federal Ryan White
CARE Act funding this year, marking the second
consecutive year federal AIDS funding to the area has
been cut, according to the Boston Public Health
Commission. Last year, BPHC had its federal AIDS funds cut
by almost $1.2 million, said commission officials.
Ryan White funds are allocated to more than 125
service organizations that provide care and support to
nearly 7,000 HIV-positive Boston-area residents.
"Every day people
still die of AIDS, and others become newly infected,"
said Boston mayor Thomas M. Menino in a BPHC press
statement. “We need to recognize that thousands of
people have come to depend on these services to stay
healthy. This funding is crucial for urban areas
fighting the AIDS epidemic.”
John Auerback,
BPHC executive director, said the Ryan White cuts will
hurt the most vulnerable Boston-area HIVers. "However, these
cuts will pale in comparison to losses we will face if
the proposed changes to the CARE Act are approved at
the federal level."
A proposed
restructuring of Ryan White funding would change the way
federal AIDS relief is allocated. Instead of issuing
grants to regions that have the highest number of
cumulative AIDS cases since the beginning of the
pandemic, funds would be divvied up based on how many
HIV patients currently live in a particular area. The
revised funding criteria also would include a
redrawing of geographic funding regions, with an
emphasis on treatment programs. The changes could result in
a cut of nearly $9 million in Ryan White funds to the
Boston area.
"The CARE Act has
worked well in Boston and Massachusetts," said
Auerback in a press statement. "We are urging Congress not
to undo years of hard work by disinvesting in cities.
The proposed changes will push the burden back on the
state to preserve the system of care that keeps people
healthy and alive." (Advocate.com)
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