San Francisco AIDS Foundation

Twelve Weeks and Counting: Extend Ryan White Now!

Urge Congress to Act on a Three-Year Extension for the Ryan White Program by the September 30, 2009, Expiration

July 9, 2009

As a member organization of the Communities Advocating Emergency AIDS Relief (CAEAR) Coalition, The San Francisco AIDS Foundation joins its national partners to endorse CAEAR's call for action to secure an extension of the Ryan White Program before the September 30 expiration. It is vital for the Ryan White community to remain actively engaged with Congress on this issue to convey in the strongest possible terms that timely Ryan White extension is a top priority.

3 things you can do to safeguard the Ryan White Program:

1. Call Your Members of Congress

CAEAR asks all Ryan White stakeholders who haven't already done so to contact their members of Congress this week and urge passage of a three-year extension to the bill that reflects recommendations endorsed by over 240 HIV/AIDS organizations in 45 states, DC and Puerto Rico. The recommendations can be found on CAEAR Coalition's Web site.

Ask your members of Congress to reach out to the leadership of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Senate HELP Committee and express their support for swift action on the extension.

To reach your members of Congress, call the Capitol Switchboard at 1-800-828-0498. If you are unsure who your member of Congress is, click here and enter your zip code in the tool on the right hand side of the web page.

2. Sign the Ryan White Extension Community Consensus Document

If the organization where you work, volunteer or receive services has not signed the Ryan White Extension Community Consensus Document, the recommendations endorsed by over 240 HIV/AIDS organizations, then urge them to sign now. The more diverse the list of signatories, the more weight the recommendations will have on Capitol Hill.

The recommendations can be viewed here. To sign on, contact either of the Federal AIDS Policy Partnership (FAPP) Ryan White Work Group co-chairs, Laura Hanen (202-434-8091, lhanen@nastad.org) and Bill McColl (202-530-8030 x3096, wmccoll@aidsaction.org).

3. Forward this Alert to Your Networks

We need your help to spread the word. Forward this message and future alerts to your staff, clients, grantees, board members, loved ones, and others who care about the Ryan White Program. Give the entire community a chance to fight for a program that serves people living with HIV/AIDS. Forward the message!

This article was provided by San Francisco AIDS Foundation.

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Reader Comments:

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Comment by: Steve Nuin (Miami ) Fri., Aug. 21, 2009 at 2:27 pm EDT
Get off your high-horsed platforms of entitlement, because the continuation of that will only accelerate the rate at which you contribute to the bankrupting of America, both financially, culturally and morally. I am proud to be an American today, where we have a multitude of overlapping social and medical nets to help us navigate and treat our most compelling health, social and housing challenges. I hope that any extension of the Ryan White Program funding is coupled with verifiable requirements for benefit recipients to comply with behavioral modification. I continue to be disgusted by the gay-specific prevalence of indulgent indifference and disrespect to unsuspecting social and sexual experiences. Using government-provided (taxpayer funded) health, resource and drug intervention benefits to facilitate a continuation of behavior which violates the mutuality and ethics of full-disclosure, only feeds a behavior whose violation contributed to the creation of this problem in the first place. Learn and show your appreciation for the generous taxpayer-funded assistance you are receiving by modifying your social and sexual moral and value system, and limiting any counter-productive practices, including drug, alcohol and sexual practices that could exasperate your status and the taxpayer burden to continue funding it. Show appreciation to society by respecting potential intimate partners by honestly divulging your health status. A change in attitude from one of self to one of respect for self and others will go a long way in creating a climate where taxpayers don't mind renewing the continuation of generous funding for medical intervention and research, not to mention the myriad of social and housing programs also generously funded by taxpayers. Learn from your experience and reflect it into behavior and interactions that share your wisdom instead of your indulgent and flailing demands of entitlement and more, more, more.

Comment by: apd (honolulu hawaii) Thu., Aug. 13, 2009 at 7:20 am EDT
we are in the part of the world were we are as close to japan as calif so now you see the great need of all the help we can get. aloha

Comment by: LONNIE SMITH (KANSAS CITY MISSOURI) Tue., Aug. 4, 2009 at 5:05 pm EDT
I WORK FOR A FREE CLINIC IN KANSAS CITY MISSOURI AND THERE IS GREAT NEED FOR THE RYAN WHITE SERVICES AND WITHOUT IT MANY HIV PEOPLE WILL GO WITHOUT MEDS.

Comment by: John Biron (Austin, Texas) Sun., Aug. 2, 2009 at 11:52 pm EDT
I am ashamed to be an American today. I am ashamed that 22 million dollars can be spent to perpetuate grossly outdated military machines of death and yet we still do not have the spiritual moral or legal maturity to save the lives of our own brothers and sisters who have so much more life left to give share and others to save and praise. America is DEAD!

Comment by: Jack R. Kelly (Chicago, IL) Mon., Jul. 27, 2009 at 8:08 pm EDT
Please extend Ryan White title funding. It helps so many that need medical care, medication and services.

Comment by: Norma Baker (Salinas Ca ) Thu., Jul. 16, 2009 at 2:51 pm EDT
My name is Norma Baker and Iam a VistaAmeric Cor and a Volunteer Program Associate for JohnXXIII HIV/AIDS Services and I feel we should due all we can to keep all program alive for all people effected with HIV or AIDS they deserve the same treatment as anyone living with an illness rather cancer or HIV/AIDS

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