AEGiS-SFE: Wilson backs down on AIDS-drug funds; Had asked counties to pay $12.9 million of program's cost

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1997. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Wilson backs down on AIDS-drug funds; Had asked counties to pay $12.9 million of program's cost

The San Francisco Examiner - Saturday, May 10, 1997
Marsha Ginsburg of the Examiner Staff

To the delight of San Francisco lawmakers, Gov. Wilson is expected to announce next week that he is restoring $12.9 million in AIDS-related state funding that counties had been asked to provide.

Of the total restored to the AIDS Drug Assistance Program, $2 million to $3 million will come to San Francisco.

"With breakthroughs in science and new drugs, we are now able to make the lives of those who suffer from HIV and AIDS much better, and under the current program, counties informed us that to fund this program they were taking funds from important AIDS programs," said one senior administration official Friday.

"By providing this $13 million we are not only serving patients with new drugs, but allowing counties to fund other programs," he said.

Wilson has "done the right thing," said Assemblywoman Carole Migden, D-San Francisco, who had fought Wilson's original plan. "With a substantial increase in funding at both the state and local levels, we improve access to the most promising drugs available for people living with HIV and AIDS, while also providing support for their day-to-day lives."

Activists and local legislators were angry with Wilson last month for suggesting that counties come up with $12.9 million of ADAP's $83.9 million budget.

The funds, federal money administered through the state, also pay for other support services for people with AIDS.

Migden had formally asked the Assembly budget subcommittee drafting health legislation to restore the money.
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