Financial Mishandling Alleged at Gay Health Center

The Howard Brown Health Center in Chicago faces allegations that staff members mishandled federal funding for an HIV/AIDS study.

According to the Associated Press, the large health center receives up to $4 million per year from the National Institutes for its participation in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study, which concerns diagnosis and treatment of HIV.

Center CEO James Edwards declined to tell the AP how much money allegedly was involved.

Although no one has alleged the money was used for personal gain, "Independent lawyers and forensic accountants hired by Howard Brown found 'areas of concern' with the clinic's handling of the study grant, Edwards said," according to the AP. "In a news release, the center said the money might have been funneled to clinic services that were unrelated to the study, which isn't allowed under the grant's rules, but officials would not elaborate."

One suggestion is that the clinic used money for the study to pay for patient care until delayed state health-care payments arrived, at which point they intended to replace the funding, the AP reported.