Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1999. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
The Bay Area Reporter - July 16, 1999
Cynthia Laird
On behalf of HHS Secretary Donna Shalala, Goosby announced Oakland's prioritization with HHS as a "metropolitan strategic area" (MSA), and stated that a crisis response team will be deployed to further assess the needs and current barriers to provide effective HIV/AIDS prevention and care services, as well as technical assistance to address the identified needs.
Lee invited the top aides from Shalala's office to visit various sites in her district last week to see the impact the AIDS crisis has had on a portion of the East Bay. "Throughout the site visit, Dr. Eric Goosby and Dr. Marsha Martin were able to assess firsthand how the AIDS crisis is affecting Oakland and Alameda County," Lee stated.
Goosby's designation of Oakland as a MSA is the result of the declaration of a public health emergency on AIDS in Alameda County's African-American community. HHS has spent the last year planning and implementing a community-wide response, Lee added.
Last Friday, four U.S. senators held a hearing in San Francisco to discuss federal AIDS funds, and Lee joined other local officials at City Hall before the hearing. While Lee couldn't attend, her statement was read into the record.
"In order to continue on a path that serves the greatest new populations being affected by HIV/AIDS, it is imperative that we garner federal support to win this battle throughout out great nation and throughout the world," Lee stated.
In May the World Health Organization announced that HIV/AIDS is now the "world's most deadly infectious disease," and it is the fourth leading cause of death in the world.
Lee said that while the number of new AIDS diagnoses for virtually every segment of the population is declining, it is rapidly moving in the opposite direction for African-Americans. "Through the leadership of the Congressional Black Caucus, we have worked with the Clinton administration including Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala to develop a comprehensive package which would allow us to launch our efforts to address the disparate number of AIDS cases in our nation's African-American community," Lee said.
According to Goosby, HHS director of HIV services, "The department is committed to the city of Oakland and to Alameda County to further refine its response to the expanding epidemic in minority communities as they relate to HIV/AIDS."
Lee added, "I am delighted with the outcome of this site visit. It is reassuring to know that the Department of Health and Human Services recognizes the AIDS crisis in Alameda County among one of their top priorities."
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