APLA JOINS HUNDREDS IN SACRAMENTO TO PROTEST AIDS CUTS

March 5, 2004, Los Angeles, CA – AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA) staff and clients will join hundreds of AIDS advocates on the steps of the Sacramento Capitol on Monday, March 8 for a day of demonstration against Gov. Schwarzenegger’s proposal to cap enrollment to the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP).

ADAP enables low-income individuals living with HIV/AIDS to access life-saving medications. These drugs -- which can cost between $10,000 and $15,000 per year -- would ordinarily be out of reach for thousands of vulnerable Californians. In 2004-2005, ADAP needs $25 million in additional funds to meet the demands of increased enrollment, the use of additional drugs by ADAP enrollees, and growing drug prices.

“The ADAP program is a matter of life or death for people living with HIV/AIDS,” said Craig E. Thompson, APLA executive director. “If enrollment is capped, as many as 1,400 people could be placed on a waiting list for these medications. Some will get sick and some may die.”

HIV-positive residents of Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley will join APLA staff in Sacramento. These community members will also visit legislative offices to discuss how ADAP has changed their lives.

“There are some reasonable ways to cut the state’s health care costs," Thompson added, "But capping ADAP isn’t one of them.”

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 or AIDS in Los Angeles County each year. Services include prevention education, food banks and nutrition education, professional dental care, housing assistance, transportation, mental health counseling, case management and home health care. More than 57 percent of APLA’s clients are people of color. 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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