BUSINESS WIRE; Tuesday, April 21, 1998
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The Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS welcomes Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala's long-sought determination that "needle exchange programs can be an effective part of a comprehensive strategy to reduce the incidence of HIV transmission and do not encourage the use of illegal drugs."
However, the Council expresses its serious disappointment that, despite her determination that a "meticulous scientific review has now proven that needle exchange programs can reduce the transmission of HIV and save lives without losing ground in the battle against illegal drugs," the Secretary has failed to lift the current ban on the use of federal funds for such programs.
In its Second Progress Report of December 7, l997, the Council noted that "the Administration has sometimes failed to exhibit the courage and political will needed to pursue public health strategies that are politically difficult but that have been shown to save lives."
This latest action by the Administration reinforces that conclusion and raises grave doubt as to the seriousness of the President's stated goal of reducing new HIV infections "each and every year until there are no more new infections."
Last year the Administration followed a similar course in announcing new medical guidelines for effective HIV treatment, but then failed to seek the funding necessary to provide access to such treatment for a large segment of those infected.
Since the Secretary has now made crystal clear that "the science in this area indicates that needle exchange programs can be an effective component of the global effort to end the epidemic of HIV disease," it is essential that public health policy "follow the science" rather than following the politics. The Administration, beginning with the President, must summon the political courage to act according to what it knows to be scientifically sound.
On March 17, 1998, the Council unanimously expressed no confidence in the Administration's commitment to HIV prevention. The act by the Secretary of Health and Human Services of issuing the formal determination of the scientific efficacy of needle exchange programs without lifting the ban on the use of federal funds for such programs is morally indefensible. It is akin to refusing to throw a life preserver to drowning person.
The American people should be outraged that this Administration has acknowledged that needle exchange programs "offer yet another weapon in the fight against AIDS" while simultaneously refusing to provide the funding necessary to employ that weapon.
That the populations most affected are largely African-Americans and Latinos is particularly distressing considering the insufficient availability of comprehensive drug treatment services and the goal of the President's Initiative on Race of ending health disparities among racial and ethnic groups.
The Council urges the President to check his moral compass and then take bold action in determining what should be the next steps in fighting the "two deadly epidemics -- AIDS and drug abuse" that are in Secretary Shalala's own words "robbing us of far too many of our citizens and weakening our future."
AIDS remains a menace both in the United States and throughout the world, and both domestic and international efforts to eliminate this threat are far from being achieved. The Council will not abandon its efforts to ameliorate the impact of drug use and HIV on disadvantaged neighborhoods and communities.
The Council will continue to use every means at our disposal to gain the political and scientific support necessary to obtain and increase federal funding for quality drug treatment services and other interventions shown to be effective against HIV transmission. As individuals living with and affected by HIV, the Council is committed to be continuously engaged in bringing this pandemic to an end.
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CONTACT: Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS R. Scott Hitt, 310/652-2562
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