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Posts Tagged ‘HIV Funding Cuts’

Despite the recession, the state  reply to HIV – including the commitment of sufficient resources to accomplish wide access to HIV prevention and treatment, fully fund AIDS research and strengthen underlying health systems – cannot be compromise while waiting for the economy to spark.  Given the economic woes across the US, budget cuts is not surprising. However, this fact doesn’t lessen the sting of the $85 million budget cuts aimed at AIDS programs across California. Hardest hit in the cuts are HIV education and prevention programs, testing and counseling services, home services and early intervention services. The Governor has acknowledged the difficult decision to cut AIDS programs. But his insensitive act is not only deadly, but guaranteed to cost California taxpayers millions more in the future. With HIV testing programs sidelined and the state’s capacity to stop new infections obstructed, new infections in California will increase—each new infection can mean up to 0,000 dollars in lifetime health care costs. A 100% cut to the Therapeutic Monitoring Program is the definition of penny-wise with the ability to monitor the effectiveness of lifesaving HIV treatment baffled, the state’s already cash-strapped AIDS Drug Assistance Program will only end up spending more for drugs.

California’s most vulnerable population has its services on the chopping block again in the latest round of proposed state budget cuts. Deprived families dependent on welfare and Medi-Cal, children of low-income families, and individuals suffering from HIV or AIDS were all part of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s May budget revise reductions. The proposal also includes to stop all general fund contributions to up to 220 state parks, which could include the La Purisima Mission and parks along the Gaviota Coast. The governor’s proposed elimination of the CalWorks program is expected to affect 3,500 families in Sta. Barbra County as reported by Kathy Gallagher, the director of the County Social Services Department. The CalWORKs program provides temporary financial help and employment focused services to families with minor children who have income and property below State maximum limits for their family size. Most able-bodied aided parents are also required to join in the CalWORKs GAIN employment services program. Abiding to the proposed budget cuts would make California the only state and the first world country of civilized nations in the world to not have a catch program for the poor families.  Abating the welfare program, which gives cash aid and services to eligible impoverish California families, would placing the load directly on the county, making such idea totally wild.

The governor’s revised budget could mean .8 million in cuts to Riverside County to public health care programs for low-income Californians living with HIV/AIDS. With a single stroke of his blue pencil, Governor Schwarzenegger has eliminated the state´s AIDS programs and, along with it, the lives of some of the state’s most helpless citizens. Governor Schwarzenegger’s one-sided decision to essentially dismantle the state’s lifesaving HIV/AIDS programs will cost lives, endanger the public’s health and constitutes negligence.  The state´s ability to identify people living with AIDS HIV is now severely paralyzed—creating an gigantic obstacle to the prevention of new infections and linking those who need it to treatment. Not only will the Governor´s callous funding cuts ravage those living with HIV/AIDS who rely on the services the state provides to stay alive and healthy, but today’s cuts also pose a serious threat to our shared responsibility to combat the spread of HIV in California.