Alabama lawmakers approve $1 million for ADAP

Lawmakers in Alabama's house of representatives this week approved a $1 million emergency appropriation for the state's cash-strapped AIDS Drug Assistance Program, the Birmingham News reports. Because of budget shortfalls, the program was facing having to cut as many as 200 of the program's 1,178 enrollees, forcing them onto a waiting list that already has 525 people on it, according to state health officials. The extra $1 million will allow the program to maintain its current enrollment level but will not help reduce the waiting list, which is growing by about 30 people per month, according to Kathie Hiers, CEO of AIDS Alabama. The bill authorizing the emergency ADAP allocation now goes to the state senate, where AIDS advocates expect it will pass.