(BW) (SF-AIDS-FOUNDATION) Increases in Federal HIV/AIDS Funding Sought at AIDSWatch '98; SF AIDS Foundation Joins Advocates from Across the U.S.; Senate Also Urged to Reject House Bill Permanently Banning Needle Exchange Funding

BUSINESS WIRE; Monday, May 4, 1998

SAN FRANCISCO--(BW HealthWire)--May 4, 1998--Urging a renewed commitment to the HIV epidemic in the United States, the SF AIDS Foundation will join 400 community advocates in Washington, D.C. to demand increased funding for the full scope of federal HIV/AIDS programs as part of AIDSWatch '98 from May 3-5.

"The paradox of today's HIV epidemic -- promising new treatments and increasingly complex service needs -- has led some to question the need for a sustained commitment to HIV and AIDS," said Regina Aragon, San Francisco AIDS Foundation Public Policy Director and member of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS. "We reject this notion and instead call for a national recommitment to the fight to end AIDS."

In addition to fighting for critical funding to continue San Francisco's battle to end the HIV epidemic and human suffering caused by AIDS, advocates will also urge the Senate to oppose the House of Representatives (HR 3717) bill which would permanently ban the use of federal funding for needle exchange programs. Priorities for advocates during the three-day AIDSWatch '98 include:

-- Fully funding the Ryan White CARE Act -- which includes the AIDS Drug Assistance Program -- at levels recommended by advocates, including a $105.2 million increase in funding for services in those urban areas hardest hit by the HIV epidemic (Title I funds) and a $173 million increase for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program to provide free or low cost HIV treatments to the uninsured or underinsured;

-- Allocation of $250 million (a $46 million increase) to the Housing Opportunities for People With AIDS (HOPWA) program in Fiscal Year 1999 to ensure adequate funding for an estimated eight to ten newly eligible areas, as well as ongoing and unmet service needs in the 88 jurisdictions currently funded;

-- An increase of $185 million in funding for HIV prevention programs;

-- Support for an additional $241 million in National Institutes of Health HIV/AIDS research, including the search for an effective vaccine; and

-- Additional funding of $200 million for an expanded and sustained federal investment in substance abuse treatment and mental health services for people living with HIV/AIDS and those at highest risk for infection.

It is expected that the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee will take action on these issues in late May or early June.

"San Francisco has developed a world-renowned safety net of integrated services that target the most vulnerable among us," said Aragon. "In a period when the public is focused on the amazing results of some very promising new treatments for HIV, many are still in need of critical medical care and supportive services. Until we have a cure for HIV, we must not forget the needs of every person living with HIV and AIDS."

The San Francisco AIDS Foundation's HIV Advocacy Network has coordinated the outreach in the Northern California area and is leading a 30-person delegation to the nation's capitol. The delegation, which includes men and women living with HIV and AIDS, staff of the AIDS Foundation policy department and members of the AIDS Foundation's community-based board of directors, will meet with Members of Congress during the three-day AIDSWatch '98.

The San Francisco AIDS Foundation is a non-profit AIDS service organization serving the community since 1982 and provides HIV/AIDS advocacy at federal, state and local levels of government. The San Francisco AIDS Foundation HIV Prevention Project operates the nation's largest needle exchange program, swapping 2.1 million sterile syringes each year.

CONTACT: San Francisco AIDS Foundation Derek Gordon 415/487-3031; pager 415/998-2871

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