AIDS Cuts = Death

ABAC chairperson Rivera

In the face of more budget cuts by New York City next week and New York State after the election, AIDS advocates are uniting in plans to fight back and remind government officials that the rise in new HIV infections won't drop just because the stock market does.

"These cuts are going to have some serious consequences on real people's lives," said Manuel Rivera, president of the PWA-driven AIDS Budget Action Coalition. "Our elected officials need to know people with AIDS aren't going to be helpless bystanders as new infections rise and lifesaving support services are cut."

Mayor Michael Bloomberg has asked his deputies to trim the budget 2.5 percent for the rest of the fiscal 2008-09 year, and five percent for the following year by Wednesday, October 8. Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Linda Gibbs is in charge of the health budget, and will decide what is on the chopping block. The new danger for AIDS services comes on the heels of devastating cuts in June, including $6 million in cuts to AIDS services, including syringe exchange, testing and prevention last June. In Albany, Gov. David Paterson is cowardly holding off until after the elections to swing his budget axe, and is expected to try to add to the August state budget cuts come November.

Harlem United Deputy Director of Policy and Government Relations Soraya Elcock says that new cuts could jeapordize New York's AIDS services network. Harlem United has already absorbed a $20,000 cut to its a syringe exchange program.

"The state and the city have been pretty thoughtful about trying to minimize the impact so far," Elcock said. "But particularly looking at the data of Latino and black men who have sex with men, future cuts are going to be counter-productive."

Hold Harmless

Tracie Gardner, director of state policy at the Legal Action Center said that, like education, HIV/AIDS prevention funding is something that should be held harmless during budget cuts.

"Specifically with HIV prevention, we've been operating on a deficit all along, and have never had the resources to meet the need," she said. "Regardless of the economic situation, people will continue to be at risk, and there are certain things that have to be held harmless. We don't cut schooling, and we can't cut elements of public health. It's a classic situation of penny-wise and pound foolish."

However, Gardner said it is important that HIV/AIDS not be treated as a political issues -- including within the AIDS community. "We need to make sure that effective services and programs are funded, while eliminating wasteful spending in our own community as well. There are certain community programs that are considered politically untouchable and we need to be able to point out that politics has no place in this."

Housing Works Vice President of New York Advocacy and Public Policy terri smith-caronia said advocates should treat the city's budget decisions like policy decisions. "We have to let our elected officials know that when they don't back their philosophical support for a program with funding dollars, it is just as harmful as being opposed to it."