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:
Governor:
http://gov.ca.gov/
Together we can make a difference.
Sincerely,
Carlos Ruiz, MA MPH
