Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2006. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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Washington Post (12.16.06) - Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Susan Levine
More than half the Administration for HIV Policy and Program's (AHPP) initial $1.3 million budget was spent on 80,000 oral swap test kits. But due to a lack of collaboration with the local medical establishment, some kits expired and some had to be donated to Maryland's health department before they expired, according to the report.
The campaign gained national attention since its June inception, which included a $500,000 publicity campaign, weekly message card distributions at Metro stations and a weekly mobile van testing site at Freedom Plaza. However, fewer than 20,000 residents have been tested, and the report questions whether the campaign had a plan for sustainability or for linking infected residents to care. AHPP said it expects testing numbers are still growing.
District jails now routinely offer inmates HIV tests, but city clinics for TB and STDs are not routinely offering the test, the report notes. In a pilot project screening injection drug users (IDUs) in Ward 7, nearly one in 10 were HIV-positive, but similar screenings have not been performed in other wards.
The city has not increased substance abuse treatment, despite the many infections tied to IDU; condom distribution is lagging; and public schools in the District still do not have an HIV/AIDS curriculum, despite pledges by the Board of Education and superintendent, said the report.
The report credits AHPP for some progress, despite the lack of citywide coordination between agencies. AHPP cannot battle the epidemic alone, said the report, which recommends a sustained commitment to fight HIV/AIDS from senior political and health officials.
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