The AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) last week thanked Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich for restoring $2 million in state funding for HIV prevention in communities of color as part of several important healthcare and prevention initiatives that will stem the spread of HIV/AIDS.
'By committing to additional HIV prevention and expanded healthcare services during an economic recession, Blagojevich is making a sound and compassionate investment in Illinois's future,' said Mark Ishaug, AFC executive director. 'The governor recognizes that the AIDS epidemic continues to ravage communities throughout Illinois, and is driven by poverty, addiction, and unequal access to healthcare.'
Blagojevich's request for $2 million in HIV prevention funding for minority communities fulfills his campaign pledge to restore the program, which former Gov. George Ryan eliminated last year.
During the 2002 legislative session, AFC and other advocates opposed Ryan's call to eliminate the appropriation, noting that 2 in 3 reported HIV cases occur among people of color. In response, the Illinois General Assembly voted to restore and increase the appropriation from $2 million to $2.25 million, which Ryan then eliminated with his line-item veto authority. A Senate vote to override the veto failed by seven votes.
This year, the AIDS Foundation of Chicago is urging lawmakers to restore the appropriation and increase it by an additional $2 million, for a total of $4 million, as a strategy to address the disproportionate impact of HIV on minority communities. African Americans and Latinos, who account for 27% of the state's population, account for 61% of the state's reported AIDS cases and 65% of the state's reported HIV cases.
The AIDS Foundation of Chicago, the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, ROCK AIDS, and other allied organizations called on lawmakers to restore the minority HIV prevention appropriation. In addition, 57 state lawmakers, including members of the Black Caucus, Hispanic Caucus, and the Conference of Women Legislators, recently sent a letter to the governor urging him to restore the money.
AFC also was pleased with other items in the governor's budget including increased state funding for substance abuse treatment services, a $56 million increase for home services for the disabled, which assists approximately 1,400 people with AIDS, and expanded Medicaid benefits for working parents through the Family Care program. AFC estimates that hundreds of uninsured parents with HIV could receive healthcare coverage under the Family Care expansion.
Plans to seek federal approval to expand the state's 'Circuit Breaker' prescription drug assistance program may also prove beneficial for low-income people with HIV/AIDS.
Unfortunately, AFC's request to Gov. Blagojevich for a $6 million increase for the Illinois AIDS Drug Assistance Program was not included in his budget request.
