• What Is the AIDS Action Weekly?
• This Week in DC
  • AIDS Action Participates in National AIDS Conference
  • Dr. Martin Speaks to Congressional Black Caucus Foundation
• In the News
  • Elizabeth M. Duke Named Administrator of HRSA
  • Senator Helms "Clarifies" Support for AIDS
• Public Policy Update
  • FY 2003 Budget and Appropriations Update
  • Inflation of Health Care Costs
  • HHS Announces Title I Grant Allocations
  • Presidential Advisory Council on HIV and AIDS Meets Next Week

What Is the AIDS Action Weekly?

The AIDS Action Weekly Update is the weekly e-mail newsletter aimed at keeping AIDS Action members abreast of the activities of AIDS Action members and staff, the broader HIV/AIDS advocacy community and the federal government. For membership information or to be added to the e-mail list, please contact us at: alotz@aidsaction.org.

This Week in DC

AIDS Action Participates in National AIDS Conference

In an effort to increase science-based expertise regarding HIV/AIDS in the African American community, the entire AIDS Action staff attended the 2002 National Conference on African Americans and AIDS in Washington, DC. The conference, traditionally designed for service providers and health professionals who provide care and treatment for those infected with HIV, was a vital source for epidemiological data and a forum for discussing current challenges faced by health care providers, AIDS service organizations, policy-makers, and other health professionals serving African Americans at risk or living with HIV/AIDS. Though clinical and technical issues were the focus of the conference, there were also a number of representatives from community-based organizations and federal agencies. Speakers at the conference included NAACP President Kweisi Mfume, former Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher, former HHS Secretary Louis Sullivan, HHS Deputy Secretary Claude Allen, and Pat Ware, Executive Director of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV and AIDS.

Dr. Martin Speaks to Congressional Black Caucus Foundation

On Wednesday, March 6, AIDS Action Executive Director Marsha Martin represented the HIV/AIDS community on a panel organized by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation to address health disparities in the minority community. The CBC Foundation is the non-profit arm of the Congressional Black Caucus and serves as a non-partisan, public policy, research and educational institute. Along with experts discussing various health issues ranging from diabetes to obesity, Dr. Martin addressed the disproportionate impact HIV/AIDS is having on the African American community. Representatives Donald Payne (D-NJ) and Bennie Thompson (D-MS) were also in attendance. For more information about the CBCF Health Caucus: www.cbcfhealth.org.

In the News

Elizabeth M. Duke Named Administrator of HRSA

On Wednesday, March 6, Department of Health and Human (HHS) Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson named Elizabeth M. James Duke, Ph.D., who has been serving in an acting role since March 2001, to become the Administrator of the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA). Ms. Duke comes to HRSA after holding several key management and policy positions within HHS and the Office of Personnel Management. For more information about the appointment: www.hhs.gov/news/press/2002pres/20020306.html.

Senator Helms "Clarifies" Support for AIDS

Sen. Jesse Helms (R-NC) recanted a recent statement that he was "ashamed" at not having done more to fight the AIDS epidemic. Senator Helms, known for being one of the most conservative members of the U.S. Senate, said his statements made at a conference sponsored by Samaritan's Purse applied only to Africa, not to "domestic AIDS issues involving homosexuals." The statements made by Senator Helms during his speech had raised the hopes of many AIDS activists at the possibility of raising the awareness of such a traditionally conservative legislator who has expressed consistently homophobic and non-science-based HIV/AIDS-related rhetoric throughout his tenure in the U.S. Senate.

Public Policy Update

FY 2003 Budget and Appropriations Update

Next week the House Budget Committee is expected to debate a budget resolution that will reflect the funding priorities and parameters outlined in President Bush's proposed FY 2003 budget. The House budget resolution may provide slightly more discretionary spending than the President's budget proposed, to accommodate such congressional priorities as highway construction, special education and veterans' benefits.

The Senate Budget Committee is expected to consider its version of a budget resolution before the spring recess that begins March 22. Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-ND) has signaled that he plans to introduce a budget resolution that provides for a balanced budget, which ultimately will make funding increases for discretionary programs above those included in the President's budget extremely difficult to secure, especially with members from both parties indicating that homeland security and bio-terrorism preparedness funding is off-limits. This likely scenario would pit programs against programs in an effort to secure limited discretionary dollars during the appropriations process. Some predict that appropriators will be unable to agree on spending levels this year -- forcing them to turn to an across-the-board inflationary increase for programs.

Inflation of Health Care Costs

On February 28, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson testified before the House Budget Committee regarding his agency's priorities in the FY 2003 budget. At the hearing, concerns were raised regarding the discrepancies in the projections of healthcare inflation between HHS, which expected costs to increase 5.7% over 10 years, and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), which expected healthcare costs to rise by 7.2% over 10 years.

HHS Announces Title I Grant Allocations

On Monday, March 4, HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson announced the FY 2002 grant awards for HIV/AIDS care and treatment funded through Title I of the Ryan White CARE Act. The 51 cities hardest hit by the HIV/AIDS epidemic, accounting for nearly 85% of the HIV/AIDS cases from the beginning of the epidemic, will receive approximately $597 million for primary care and related services for low-income residents affected by the disease. To read the HHS news release: newsroom.hrsa.gov/releases/2002releases/HHSTitleI.htm.

Presidential Advisory Council on HIV and AIDS Meets Next Week

The President's Advisory Council on HIV and AIDS (PACHA) is set to meet next week for its first meeting of 2002 and of the Bush Administration. The Council was established in 1995 by then-President Bill Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, and HHS Secretary Donna Shalala to provide recommendations on the U.S. government's response to the AIDS epidemic. The Council's two-day meetings will be held at The White House Conference Center on March 14 and 15. The meeting's agenda includes the swearing in of members and discussions on a variety of HIV/AIDS-related topics, including access to AIDS drugs. AIDS Action, in partnership with the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), will be hosting a reception on March 14th at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building to welcome the new members of PACHA. To learn more about PACHA: www.pacha.gov/index.html.