"People in the United States seem to have grown complacent and forgotten that HIV/AIDS is not just a problem overseas, but one here in our own nation. With as many as 1.1 million people in our country living with HIV/AIDS, our government, through passing a new Ryan White CARE Act, must ensure that lifesaving drugs, medical care, and social services are provided to those in need, wherever they live."
"Continued flat funding for CARE Act programs will do little to help eliminate current waiting lists, and nothing to extend care and treatment to people who aren't even on those lists. Instead, it will only serve to pit city against city and state against state for the limited dollars available. A person's ability to receive treatment should not depend upon where in the country they live."
"The Ryan White CARE Act works -- that is why it must be reauthorized. In the devastation following Hurricane Katrina, one of the only bright notes was that the Ryan White/ADAP system in states across the country went into high gear to assure that poor patients could access their life-saving medications. The CARE Act and the systems it has created serve as a model for all medical care in the U.S."
"Ryan taught us that AIDS can strike anyone, anywhere. As we work together to renew the Ryan White CARE Act, I urge the Congress and the Administration to provide adequate funding so that everyone who is in need of these lifesaving medications and medical care, can have the chance to live productive, healthy and longer lives."
"With as many as 1.1 million people in the U.S. living today with HIV/AIDS, and nearly 3 out of 4 of them uninsured or relying on public assistance, the CARE Act for them is a matter of life or death. This media campaign will remind Americans that HIV/AIDS exists in everyone's neighborhood and that despite the success of the Ryan White program, not all Americans have access to lifesaving care and treatment."
"The Ryan White CARE Act has a proven track record of success in providing lifesaving drugs as well as a full range of medical care and support services. The CARE Act is keeping people alive much longer than ever before. It has had strong bipartisan support from Congressional leaders over the years. We expect the same this year -- swift passage of reauthorization legislation this fall."
Resources at The Body:
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MEDIA ADVISORY Feb. 1, 2006 |
CONTACT: Arlyn Riskind, 202-457-8100 ariskind@lipmanhearne.com |
RYAN WHITE ACTION CAMPAIGN ADVOCATES ATTENDING CONFERENCE ON RETROVIRUSES AND OPPORTUNISTIC INFECTIONS (CROI); AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS
Ryan White CARE Act Expired September 30; Lawmakers Ponder Changes to the Bill
Washington, DC -- As the world's leading HIV/AIDS researchers are meeting in Denver, February 5-8, 2006 to discuss strategies in the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS and its complications, advocates nationwide are expressing concern about the growing disparities in access to existing and new HIV therapies in the U.S. The reauthorization of the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act, the safety-net program that funds HIV care and treatment for uninsured and under-insured people with HIV/AIDS, is just getting started in Congress. Meanwhile more than 1,500 people are on waiting lists to obtain HIV medications through the CARE Act's AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP).
Members of the Ryan White ACTION Campaign (www.ryanwhiteaction.org) will be available at CROI to discuss access to new and existing therapies and the expert medical care needed to manage HIV patients through the CARE Act. Interested reporters can call RWAC spokespeople directly, via the cell phones below, to schedule one-on-one or phone interviews:
WHO:
- Dr. Arlene Bardeguez, Director of HIV Services Dept. of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Women's Health at New Jersey Medical School; Vice Chair of Board, HIVMA at 201-207-5025
- Dr. Gene Copello, Executive Director, The AIDS Institute at 202-306-3243
- Dr. Howard A. Grossman, Executive Director, AAHIVM at 202-957-4804
- Dr. Daniel R. Kuritzkes, Director of AIDS Research, Brigham & Women's Hospital; Chairman of Board, HIVMA at 617-899-7837
- Gregory I. Smiley, Director of Public Policy, AAHIVM at 202-251-2148
- Dr. John Stansell, Associate Chief and Medical Director of the Positive Health Program, Division of AIDS, San Francisco General Hospital; Chairman of Board, AAHIVM at 415-264-0877
WHEN: February 5-8, 2006 (Available for in-person and phone interviews)
WHAT: Comments on the Ryan White CARE Act and its implications on research.
About the Ryan White CARE Act
Since its passage in 1990, shortly after Ryan White's death, The Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act has provided medical care and treatment for more than half a million low-income, uninsured, or underinsured people living with HIV/AIDS in the United States. These lifesaving treatments continue to be critical for many of the more than 1.1 million Americans living with HIV/AIDS, with 69 percent of those infected currently uninsured or on public assistance. The law expired on September 30th, 2005 and Congress has not yet introduced a bill to renew it.
About the Ryan White ACTION Campaign (www.ryanwhiteaction.org)
The Ryan White ACTION Campaign is a national campaign designed to raise awareness about the importance of the Ryan White CARE Act, which expired on September 30th, and why it needs to be reauthorized and adequately funded. Launched by a coalition of medical providers and HIV/AIDS advocacy organizations, including The AIDS Institute, American Academy of HIV Medicine, HIV Medicine Association, and National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors, the campaign includes the involvement of a number of prominent advocates on HIV/AIDS, including Jeanne White-Ginder and former Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher.
Media Notes: To interview members of the Ryan White ACTION Campaign or to receive more information about the campaign, contact Arlyn Riskind at 202-457-8100 or ariskind@lipmanhearne.com.
