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|  | Local News
Activists Make Last Minute Plea to State Legislature for AIDS Funding
About 75 people showed up at the capitol on Tuesday, Feb. 22 to rally around requests for the Utah Legislature to inject $500,000 into life-saving HIV/AIDS programs. The candlelight vigil, organized by activist Stuart Merrill, was prompted by a half-million dollar reduction in monies provided by the federal government for the Ryan White AIDS Drug Assistance Program.
House Minority Leader Ralph Becker, D-Salt Lake, Sen. Scott McCoy, D-Salt Lake, lobbyist/activist Pamela Atkinson, and others addressed the crowd about the unexpected reduction in funding and what some call a life-and-death need.
The Ryan White program buys medication, insurance and other services for people who are infected with HIV but have not yet developed AIDS—people who are not yet eligible for Medicaid or Medicare. The drugs and medical services can help delay or possibly prevent HIV from developing into full-blown AIDS. The costs of those medications can be around $15,000 a year per individual. Of Utah’s estimated 1,800 people with HIV, about 750 qualify for some level of Ryan White services.
Merrill, who sits on the Treatment and Care Planning Committee for Ryan White, said that when the group got together on Feb. 15, they were expecting to learn about cuts in federal funding for Utah, but they had no idea they would lose half a million dollars.
“We were expecting bad news,” said Merrill. “But we were shocked and horrified at how bad it really was. Especially considering that just a few days before President Bush had promised $10 million in new dollars for that program.”
But changes to the program required the feds to flat-fund states in most programs, causing a shortage of $500,000 in Utah. Merrill and other advocates turned to the state to make up the difference. Unfortunately, at this late date in the legislative session, most of the budget has been set and all the available monies allocated.
“We are very concerned about this, although my understanding is still vague,” said Stan Penfold, executive director of the Utah AIDS Foundation. “We haven’t seen the actual figures yet and I’ve got no firm numbers from Washington D.C.”
Penfold, who was unable to attend the last-minute rally, says that an increased number of Utahns who qualify for Ryan White support makes this a critical concern. He is worried that either a reduction in federal monies or even funding at the same level will cause the creation of a wait-list to get on the program as the demand grows.
Pamela Atkinson explained that lawmakers and the governor are aware of this unexpected budget reduction and are taking the matter seriously. Atkinson says that even if it’s too late to get funding from the state, she hopes to find support from foundations and grants with the help of influential Utahns. According to Merrill, even Gayle Ruzicka has joined the lobbying effort to get some state dollars diverted to these critical lifesaving programs.
UAF and other non-profit charities do not have the capacity to effectively raise funding for the program, according to Penfold. “It’s not financially feasible for [UAF] to supplement drug costs,” he said. “I don’t think any non-profit could afford to do that. I don’t know if the community as a whole has the capacity to support [drug assistance programs].”
In regard to his hopes that the state would make up the funding shortage, Merrill said, “Yesterday I would have said I was on the sunny side of 50/50. Today, I’m on the darker side of 50/50. I honestly don’t know. I just find it horrifying that we live in a state that can spend $50 million to improve roads, but can’t find 1% of that to save lives.”
Merrill’s message to the readers of QSaltLake is different than his message to the state lawmakers. “We need a lot more than just your political and financial support,” Merrill said. “There are hundreds of people in this community with HIV/AIDS who feel completely isolated from the gay community. We need the community’s social support.”
On Monday, Feb. 28, the Senate voted to approve $100,000 for funding HIV medication. The House must also give its nod of approval.
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by Jere Keys