Obama to Outline National AIDS Strategy

In a first for the United States, President Barack Obama will outline a new national AIDS strategy on Tuesday that is expected to call for redirecting money to groups most at risk, including gay and bisexual men and African-Americans.

According to The New York Times, the strategy, which is the first of its kind and took 15 months to develop, will seek to mitigate the AIDS epidemic by curbing the number of new HIV infections and increasing the numbers of people who receive care and treatment. The administration will make a call to reduce annual new HIV infections, which total about 56,000, by 25% within five years, and reach a greater number of the more than one million Americans living with the virus.

The strategy will attempt to accomplish its goals by reallocating resources rather than increasing spending substantially, according to the Times.

“While acknowledging that ‘increased investments in certain key areas are warranted,’ the report does not propose a major increase in federal spending,” reports the Times. “It says the administration will redirect money to areas with the greatest need and population groups at greatest risk, including gay and bisexual men and African-Americans. The federal government now spends more than $19 billion a year on domestic AIDS programs.”

Read more about specific points in the report here.