For Immediate Release
Media Contact:
Justin Burke - 213.201.1525
EMAIL:jburke@apla.org
AIDS PROJECT LOS ANGELES APPLAUDS BUDGET SIGNING
Los Angeles, CA, August 4, 2003 – While California’s AIDS programs suffered cuts in the budget signed Saturday by Gov. Gray Davis, AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA) today commended both the governor and Legislature for leaving many HIV/AIDS programs intact, despite the state’s unprecedented fiscal crisis.
“The governor and Legislature clearly understand the importance of life-saving programs like the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP),” said APLA Executive Director Craig Thompson. The budget maintains full funding for ADAP, which provides free drugs to low-income uninsured or underinsured people living with HIV. “Californians living with HIV/AIDS must have access to the drugs that keep them alive and productive,” Thompson said. “Without this funding, the state would face increased costs, and worse, more human suffering, in the future.”
In January, Gov. Davis proposed significant co-payments to cover funding shortfalls in the $200 million ADAP program. AIDS advocates argued that the proposed co-pays, ranging from $30 to $50 per prescription per month, would force people to choose among rent, food and medications. The Legislature rejected the co-pays, and adopted the advocates’ proposal to fund the program with monies from other HIV/AIDS programs and increased rebates from pharmaceutical companies.
“We all know the state’s budget problems are not behind us,” Thompson said. “We are grateful for the cooperation we’ve received from the governor and the Legislature, and we look forward to continuing our work with them next year to preserve California’s vital HIV and AIDS programs.”
Thompson pointed out that other state programs that impact people with HIV/AIDS suffered significant cutbacks. These include:
· Medi-Cal – The largest
source of funding for care and treatment of HIV,
Medi-Cal faces 5 percent cutbacks in provider payments,
reductions in adult dental care services and tightened
eligibility procedures for disabled people, including
people with AIDS.
· HIV/AIDS Prevention – The budget cuts
5 percent, or $1.2 million, from HIV/AIDS prevention
education programs, including $1 million for the state
Department of Education.
· AIDS Research – The budget cuts approximately
$2.3 million from the University of California’s
Universitywide AIDS Research Program.
· Disability Incomes – Statewide cost
of living increases will be suspended in 2004 for disabled
individuals who receive Social Security Supplemental
Security Income (SSI), currently at $778 per month.
“These cuts, while understandable in light of the state’s fiscal crunch, will make life harder for people living with HIV/AIDS,” Thompson said, “either by constricting the availability of health care services or reducing already meager disability incomes.”
AIDS Project Los Angeles, one of the nation’s largest AIDS service organizations, provides direct services to more than 10,000 men, women and children living with HIV and AIDS in Los Angeles County. Services include prevention education, food banks, professional dental care, housing assistance, mental health counseling, women’s services and case management. APLA is a leader in the provision of bilingual HIV treatment information, in print and on the Internet, and advocates for effective AIDS-related policies and legislation on the local, state and federal level. For more information, please visit www.apla.org.
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