Obama Administration Committed to Development of a National HIV/AIDS Strategy, Official Says

"The President has made a strong commitment to developing a national HIV/AIDS strategy, which is a top priority for" the White House Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP), Jeffrey Crowley, director of ONAP and senior advisor on disability policy, writes in a Windy City Times opinion piece. He adds, "As we work to craft a national strategy, we are prepared to engage the government and the public to ask tough questions to achieve the President's goals of reducing HIV incidence, getting all people living with HIV/AIDS into care, and addressing health disparities." In addition, President Obama's budget seeks to increase access to care and treatment for people living with HIV and calls for increased CDC funding that "will allow states and local health departments to expand evidence-based prevention interventions and test 600,000 additional persons with HIV and identify 6,000 new HIV infections per year," Crowley said (Crowley, Windy City Times, 6/3).