Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2009. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Bay Area Reporter - August 6, 2009
Matthew S. Bajko, m.bajko@ebar.com
"No budget cuts," chanted the crowd.
Several hundred people protested Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's decision to cut $82 million in state AIDS funding at a noon rally across the street from the state office building in San Francisco's Civic Center Wednesday, August 5.
If it were not for state run programs that offer discounted HIV medications, counseling services and health care, Cecilia Chung said she would never have gotten over her HIV diagnosis 16 years ago.
"The funding for all those organizations really helped me to get my feet back on the ground and my life together," said the transgender activist. "I would not be here today screaming from the top of my lungs how can we turn back the clock to 25 years again. He is cutting out people's lives."
The Republican governor used his line-item veto power last week to slash another $52 million in general fund support to AIDS programs, including totally eliminating state funding for HIV prevention and testing efforts, on top of what lawmakers had agreed to cut from the state Office of AIDS budget. The AIDS office saw its budget gutted in half, dropping from more than $167.3 million down to $82.4 million for the 2009-2010 fiscal year.
The move infuriated Democratic lawmakers, who are looking at legal means to fight the decision, and enraged AIDS advocates and service providers who fear seeing a spike in HIV cases due to the cuts. People living with HIV and AIDS are concerned reductions in services and healthcare options will be detrimental to their well-being and are looking to elected leaders to reverse the governor's cuts.
"When there is a spike [in HIV cases] we know who has blood on their hands," declared Chung.
San Francisco AIDS Foundation CEO Mark Cloutier told the crowd that the governor and the Legislature are being "reckless with public policy" and vowed he and his agency would not rest until the AIDS cuts were restored. He called on state lawmakers to reconvene and come up with a solution to the state's revenue problems that led to the budget deficits.
"We are outraged. We know there are going to be more infections," said Cloutier. "We have fought for 25 years to build up the San Francisco model of care. He is tearing that system apart."
According to a report issued Wednesday by San Francisco's controller, Ben Rosenfield, the city stands to lose $36.4 million in funding from Sacramento this fiscal year. Of that amount Rosenfield estimated that the Department of Public Health stands to lose $19.8 million, with roughly $4.6 million coming out of its state AIDS funding.
The state's Office of AIDS is expected to soon release a breakdown of how much individual programs and cities will see their funding drop. The San Francisco AIDS Foundation has estimated it could lose $800,000 in state money.
Maritza Penagos, the HIV services director for Clinica Esperanza at the Mission Neighborhood Health Center, said her agency could lose as much as 50 percent of its state funding for HIV testing and monitoring programs. The clinic's total budget for the new fiscal year had been set at $1.2 million.
"We will not shut down, we will weather this storm," said Penagos, though she added that, "I don't know what we are going to look like three months from now."
Her main concern is for the roughly 450 HIV-positive clients she and her staff treat each year. Mainly Spanish-speaking immigrants, 73 percent of whom self identify as gay men, her clients have no other options when it comes to seeking health care, said Penagos.
"It would be hard for the San Francisco model of care to absorb the needs of those individuals," she said." I think people should be talking with officials about restoring the cuts. This really is a dire situation."
Manuel Rochin, a patient at the clinic who declined to state his sexual orientation, denounced the governor's actions at the rally. Since learning he was HIV-positive in 2000, he said he has depended on the care he receives at the health center.
"I wouldn't be standing here today alive. This is why I am very, very irritated," said Rochin, speaking through an interpreter. "This is a disgrace. He is affecting many, many lives. We want these funds returned."
090806
BR090801
Copyright © 2009 - The Bay Area Reporter. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the The Bay Area Reporter.
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 2009. 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, 2009. 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. .