NAPWA urges renewal of Ryan White Act

The National Association of People With AIDS on Friday called on Congress to move forward with legislative action to reauthorize the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act. The Ryan White Act, which provides lifesaving services to hundreds of thousands of HIV-positive Americans, expires at midnight on September 30.

“The Ryan White CARE Act saves the lives of poor and working people living with HIV/AIDS by providing essential medical and supportive services. It is a program with proven results and high effectiveness,” said NAPWA executive director Terje Anderson in a press release. “Congress must make sure this program moves forward with the funding and structure needed to provide access to care and treatment across the country.”

Ryan White–supported programs will not come to an end with tonight’s expiration. Instead, they will continue to operate as long as Congress votes to extend funding for the program. However, states, cities, clinics, and community organizations funded by the Ryan WhiteAct will continue to struggle with growing need and woefully inadequate funding. The federal government itself estimates that there are approximately 200,000 people in the United States who are HIV-positive, but who are not receiving lifesaving health care and treatment. An additional 300,000 or more are estimated to be HIV-positive but are unaware of their status because they have not been tested.

“The President and Congress have criminally underfunded the CARE Act, resulting in waiting lists, service cutbacks, and lack of care for thousands of people in need,” said Anderson. “Congress must move forward by not simply reenacting a CARE Act with changes to address a constantly changing epidemic, but also with the funding needed to close the unthinkable gaps in HIV/AIDS care and services we see across the country.”

In an effort to educate members of Congress on the needs of HIV-positive people, NAPWA published the "Guiding Principles from the National Association of People with AIDS for the 2005 Reauthorization of the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act" in June. In addition, NAPWA has released a critique of the Bush administration’s proposals for reauthorization of the CARE Act. Both documents are available online at www.napwa.org. (Advocate.com)