Activists last week near Gov. David Paterson’s New York City office
protest state budget cuts to HIV/AIDS services. The cuts arrive after
the city just trimmed $5.5 million from funding for HIV/AIDS services.
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By Joelle L. Quartini
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Hundreds gathered Aug. 15 across from Gov. David Paterson’s New York City office to protest the proposed state budget cuts to HIV/AIDS services.
Paterson had proposed $1 billion in spending cuts, which would include another 6 percent cut to state funding for HIV prevention, services and supplies, according to Housing Works, a citywide organization devoted to low-income and homeless persons living with HIV/AIDS.
The cuts come just two weeks after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that 40 percent more Americans have been infected with HIV each year than had been previously thought.
The CDC now estimates that 56,300 new HIV infections occurred in 2006, up from 40,000 new infections that had been estimated.
Of those 56,300 infections, 6,200 were in New York State.
“For you to go in there and further cut into these services, when the numbers are more than you thought, would be criminal,” said Terri Smith-Caroni of Housing Works, which estimates New York City has well over 100,000 people living with HIV/AIDS—more than any other U.S. city.
The Legislature met Tuesday, Aug 19, in Albany to vote on the governor's budget modification packet and approved a plan to cut $427 million from the current $122 billion budget and to cut state spending by nearly $1 billion over the next 18 months.
The package includes more than $500 million in Medicaid and health care savings and 6 percent cuts from various local assistance funding.
The biggest proposed cut would be $505 million in Medicaid funding, which would include a $169.4 million cut from nursing homes and $99.4 million from hospitals.
Many New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS depend on Medicaid for health care.
State cuts may come just months after Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and the New York City Council approved a 2009 budget that eliminates $5.5 million from funding for HIV/AIDS services, according to Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC), an HIV advocacy and service agency.
GMHC has been forced to cut HIV prevention and education programs, HIV rapid testing, clean-syringe distribution, hepatitis C screening, and substance abuse prevention and education.
Protesters gathered on the sidewalks and the street with signs condemning the cuts and Paterson for proposing them. Activist chanted “No more cuts. We need money,” and “Put it back,” as they pointed toward the governor's office.
Cuts would affect everything from case management and family counseling to condom supplies and clean syringe access programs for drug users, which the federal government bans.
“The state and New York City have been very progressive in the past in terms of providing those types of dollars and compensated for what the federal government doesn’t do,” said Tamara Oyola-Santiago of Housing Works.
“We rely on the state to provide services and treatment to our clientele who are either positive or at risk of becoming positive, and not just HIV, but hepitis C as well,” she said.
Lister James, 54, attended the rally across from Paterson’s Third Avenue office last Friday. He is a client of HIV/AIDS Services Administration (HASA) and has been budgeted for just $333 per month. HASA is a government program that helps HIV-positive people by providing benefits and social services, but it barely begins to cover James' needs.
“I go to GMHC for five meals a week,” James said. “I use them for legal services. I use them for advocacy. I use them for mental health services.” He’s worried that any and all of these programs that might suffer with the cuts.
“For me, since I’m already positive, I am an advocate for safe sex because years ago I made a commitment that if I could prevent one person—and I’ll never know if it happens—then all of my efforts will have went for something.”
James tries to educate young people in chat rooms who ask him to have sex with them because he is positive and they are not. “They’re not getting the message, and the message needs to come from all of the programs that would be cut by all these cuts.”
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