San Diego HIV/AIDS Organizations to Lose More than $1 Million in Critical HIV Funding

California's nearly $83 million in state HIV/AIDS funding cuts are now being felt at the local level, which organizers say makes this year's AIDS Walk San Diego all the more important for more than two-dozen area agencies.

"We are still trying to understand the impact these budget cuts will have on San Diego's HIV/AIDS programs," said Rosana Scolari, director of CASA South Bay, a program of the San Ysidro Health Center. "What we do know is that they will cripple many of the services that we have built to help those most distressed by this disease."

"It has become clear that San Diego County will likely lose more than $1 million in funding for HIV viral load testing, HIV testing and counseling, early intervention programs and prevention programs," said Delores A. Jacobs, CEO of the San Diego LGBT Community Center. The Sept. 27 walk at Balboa Park, she said, "is a concrete way to help many of the agencies that directly serve people living with HIV in our area."

The event is San Diego's largest one-day HIV/AIDS fundraiser and the biggest non-governmental financial provider for HIV/AIDS services in the county. Through a unique partnership with the San Diego HIV Funding Collaborative, money raised from the walk is combined with donations from other philanthropic efforts and foundations to qualify for matching funds.

For more information about the walk, telephone Donnie Luehring at 619-291-9255. To register, visit www.AIDSWalkSD.org.

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