"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:
JEANNE WHITE-GINDER AND RYAN WHITE ACTION CAMPAIGN ADVOCATES AVAILABLE FOR WORLD AIDS DAY INTERVIEWS
Ryan White CARE Act Expired September 30; Lawmakers Ponder Changes to the Bill
Washington, DC -- Jeanne White-Ginder, a prominent advocate on issues related to AIDS care and treatment and mother of the late Ryan White, the teen who helped bring the issue of AIDS to the nation's attention, will be available on World AIDS Day to discuss the reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act, along with members of the Ryan White ACTION Campaign (www.ryanwhiteaction.org).
The Ryan White ACTION Campaign was launched earlier this year to raise awareness about the importance of the Ryan White CARE Act, which expired September 30th, 2005. Launched by a coalition of medical providers and HIV/AIDS advocacy organizations, including The AIDS Institute, American Academy of HIV Medicine (AAHIVM), HIV Medicine Association (HIVMA), and National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD), the Campaign is hosting a World AIDS Day event in Nashville, Tennessee that will bring together patients, providers, legislators, and members of the local community to highlight the impact of the CARE Act on Tennessee residents.
WHO:
Jeanne White-Ginder, mother of the late Ryan White
Dr. Gene Copello, Executive Director, The AIDS Institute
Dr. Howard A. Grossman, Executive Director, AAHIVM
Christine Lubinski, Executive Director, HIVMA
Julie M. Scofield, Executive Director, NASTAD
WHEN:
November 30-December 1, 2005, World AIDS Day (Available for phone interviews).
WHAT:
Comments on the Ryan White CARE Act as part of World AIDS Day observance.
About World AIDS Day
World AIDS Day was established in 1988 to encourage awareness about the global AIDS epidemic. According to UNAIDS estimates, there were 37.2 million adults and 2.2 million children living with HIV at the end of 2004, and during that year 4.9 million people became newly infected with the virus. The theme for the 2005 World AIDS Day is "Keep the Promise."
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.
"Ryan taught us that AIDS can strike anyone, anywhere," noted Mrs. White-Ginder, spokesperson for the Campaign. "This World AIDS Day, I urge everyone to 'keep the promise' our nation made to Ryan when we first introduced the CARE Act in his name. Let's work together to renew the Ryan White CARE Act and ensure it has adequate funding so that everyone who is in need of lifesaving medications, medical care, and social services, can have the chance to live productive, healthy and longer lives," she continued.
Dr. Gene Copello, Executive Director of The AIDS Institute, said: "World AIDS Day reminds us every year of the devastation caused by HIV and AIDS worldwide. This year we have been reminded many times that the epidemic in the United States needs attention. Over 40,000 new HIV infections occur every year in our nation. More and more Americans have no access to HIV and AIDS medical care, social services, and housing -- including access to life-saving medications. Discrimination against those living with HIV continues in employment, education, healthcare, and housing. Our local, state, and federal governments, as well as our communities and corporate sectors, need to 'keep the promise' to provide adequate resources to stop the devastation HIV and AIDS is causing in the United States and around the world. Let's make every day of the year a day to keep this promise."
Dr. Howard A. Grossman, Executive Director of American Academy of HIV Medicine, commented: "World AIDS Day forces us to ask ourselves, 'Can we do more?' And yes, the lives we've saved say we can do so, so much more -- both at home and abroad."
Christine Lubinski, Executive Director of the HIV Medicine Association noted: "World AIDS Day provides us all with an opportunity to acknowledge and respond to the continuing health care and public health crisis represented by the AIDS Epidemic here in the U.S. and abroad. Americans need to face what persons living with HIV and frontline HIV providers already know--- that there is no guarantee of access to lifesaving HIV treatment and that the patchwork safety net of HIV care funded by Medicaid and Ryan White is frayed, inadequately funded, and requires immediate attention from policymakers."
Julie Scofield, Executive Director of NASTAD, said: "We need to 'keep the promise' of the Ryan White CARE Act that has helped people stay alive over the last 15 years. Congress should not only renew this legislation, but strengthen it, to realistically address this continuing public health challenge, ensuring that every American who needs lifesaving HIV treatment has access to 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 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.
About Jeanne White-Ginder
In 1984, Ryan White -- a hemophiliac -- was diagnosed with AIDS. With the support of his mother Jeanne White, Ryan became the center of a court battle and national crusade to remain in school. His poignant story captured the nation's attention and forever changed our view of AIDS and those living with it. As director of the Ryan White Foundation, member of the AIDS Institute Board of Directors and spokesperson for the Ryan White ACTION Campaign, Jeanne White-Ginder, is today a forceful advocate for the rights of people with HIV/AIDS. Her latest book, Weeding Out the Tears, was published in 1997.
Media Notes: To interview Mrs. White-Ginder or other members of the Ryan White ACTION Campaign or to receive more information about the campaign, contact Jennifer Devlin at 703-876-1714 or Jennifer.devlin@cox.net.
