C.A.R.E. Knowledge BLOG

California HIV Funding in Serious Crisis

Governor Schwarzenegger's May 2009 revised budget has put California HIV funding in a serious crisis by eliminating $160 million dollars in HIV funding.  The revised budget cuts all of the State's $24.6 million dollars in general funds allocated for HIV Education and Prevention services.  The revised budget also cuts $135.4 million in general funds allocated for ADAP, HIV Counseling & Testing, Early Intervention Programs, Therapeutic Monitoring Program, HIV Surveillance, Home and community based care programs, state housing programs, and CARE HIPP. 

 

This is not a time for us to stand by on the sidelines and wait to see what will happen next.  The State of California and the County of Los Angeles cannot afford to have these funds eliminated.  We must act now, and demand that our State legislators and our elected Governor do the right thing for California's HIV funding crisis.

 

HIV continues to be a serious public health epidemic, with thousands being infected every year.  Prevention, Education and Treatment are key to the control of HIV disease.  We must ensure that funding for these services remain constant.  We must advocate for our infected and affected clients, our unifected community, our youth, women and at risk minority populations.  We must ensure that HIV does not become the ignored disease that it once was in the early 1980s.

 

Please contact our elected State Legislators immediately, and informed them that funding cuts to HIV Prevention, Education, and Treatment is unacceptable.  Please do not leave the advocacy and political lobbying to your leaders, each one of us must act now before it is too late.  You may search for your district legislator and/or senator by visiting the following website:

 

Legislators:

http://www.legislature.ca.gov/

 

Governor:

http://gov.ca.gov/

 

Together we can make a difference.

 

Sincerely,

 

Carlos Ruiz, MA MPH

Long Beach Triathlon

The Long Beach Triathlon is the CARE Program's biggest fundrasing event.  This is the first year we will be asking athletes to voluntarily register on Active.com in order to get sponsors for the event.  To resgister to participate as an athlete visit  http://www.pacificsportsllc.com/longbeach/lbtinfo.html. The CARE Program www.careprogram.org is also requesting donors to go to active.com website and donate money to the Long Beach Triathlon event which will be held on Sunday, September 20, 2009 at 7:00.  This is a fast paced triathlon, because it is 1/3 the distance of an Olympic size triathlon.  This triathlon is perfect for amateur athletes wanting to race a triathlon.  We hope you could paticipate, volunteer, or donate to the CARE Program's Long Beach Triathlon.  Thank you very much.

Reduction of HIV/AIDS funding accros the County of Los Angeles

For the past two years there have been drastic cuts on HIV funding from all levels of governement.  HIV services accross LA County are being cut and reduced with uncertainty of future funding.  The field of HIV prevention has been greatly affected, and this does not seem appropriate at a time that more people are living with HIV than before.  The City of Long Beach has a higher rate of AIDS than the County of Los Angeles.  The City of Long Beach is the health jurisdiction with the second highest rate of cummulative AIDS cases in the State. 

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The C.A.R.E. Knowledge Blog is currently under development. Please return soon for HIV/AIDS information and news on the C.A.R.E.  Program.  Thank you.

For now, please visit our website at www.careprogram.org.