San Antonio AIDS group turns away patients

Because of cuts to Bexar County, Texas’s federal Ryan White AIDS grant due to a poorly scored grant application, the San Antonio AIDS Foundation is facing such a financial crisis that it is turning away ill HIV patients from its skilled-nursing and hospice programs, The San Antonio Express-News reports. The agency lost $257,000 from its expected funding level because of the county’s Ryan White cut, according to SAAF executive director David Ewell.

Bexar County officials and University Hospital in San Antonio have allocated about $100,000 to SAAF to help make up for the shortfall, but officials say that is only half of what is needed to rehire two skilled nurses, a move that would allow the centers to begin admitting patients again.

County commissioner Tommy Adkisson has proposed a one-time contribution of $26,000 to SAAF from the county’s general fund, and the University Health System has offered a one-time donation of $50,000 to help ease the funding shortfall. SAAF is also hoping to raise significant amounts of money through its annual “WEBB Party” fund-raiser on April 21. (The Advocate)

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