AEGiS-BAR: A year and a half later, city gets part of prevention money

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2000. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

A year and a half later, city gets part of prevention money

Bay Area Reporter - December 7, 2000
Katie Szymanski

What a difference a declared HIV infection surge makes. In May 1999, Delaware-based DuPont Pharmaceuticals and the city of San Francisco announced amid much fanfare a $5 million joint grant to be used for HIV prevention. As the Bay Area Reporter goes to press this week, not one cent of that money has been received or put to use.

The reason for the delay? The money is a part of a matching grant program, where funds are solicited from other corporations and the city must match what is given. But no other companies would sign on to the grant, according to sources at DuPont, which has committed $1 million.

However, due to the Department of Public Health's position that HIV cases are on the rise, DuPont has decided to fork over the first installment of $200,000 immediately. The check is expected this week, according to Mike Shriver, HIV/AIDS policy adviser to Mayor Willie Brown.

The initial $200,000 will be matched by Brown, and half of the money will go to the city's HIV Prevention Planning Council, while the other half will be filtered through a prevention program chaired by Dr. Tom Coates, director of the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies at the University of California, San Francisco, according to Shriver.

Officials at DuPont are optimistic that this payment will encourage other companies to get on board. DuPont spokesman David Rosen told the B.A.R. that he did not know which companies previously refused to take part in the HIV prevention grant, but that he expects some of them to revisit the issue.

"We're hoping that as other people see that there's movement, then they, too, will come forward," said Rosen.

Shriver agreed that the first installment would go a long way to persuading others to join.

"I intend to get that money for us," said Shriver. "I really think we can do it now. There's a difference between a pledge and actually having a check in your hand, and this will give me a lot of powerful leverage."

001207
BR001204

AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Elton John AIDS Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, Pacific Life Foundation and donations from users like you.

Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2000. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1980, 2000. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .