US National AIDS Strategy in Horizon

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Press contacts: Noel Alicea, 212-367-1216

Krishna Stone, 212-367-1016


HOUSE SUBCOMMITTEE APPROVES $1.4 MILLION FOR DEVELOPMENT OF NATIONAL AIDS STRATEGY

GMHC Commends Chairman Jose Serrano, Committee for Leadership

New York, NY/June 18, 2008—Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives Financial Services Appropriations Subcommittee approved a bill that includes $1.4 million to the White House Office of National AIDS Policy for the development of a National AIDS Strategy. The funding would support six full-time staff, meeting expenses, regional consultations, and communications costs to develop and oversee the implementation of a National AIDS Strategy.

“Twenty-seven years into the AIDS epidemic, the United States does not have a national AIDS strategy that coordinates efforts across agencies and quantifies progress toward measurable outcomes,” said Marjorie J. Hill, PhD, Chief Executive Officer at Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC). “This is one critical reason why we have not been able to bring down the number of new HIV infections here at home. The U.S. requires poorer, developing world countries like Botswana and Vietnam to have a national AIDS strategy in order to receive U.S. aid, yet we do not have a strategy ourselves. We commend Chairman Serrano and the Financial Services Subcommittee for taking this important first step toward creating and implementing a national AIDS strategy here in the U.S.”

Over the past year Gay Men’s Health Crisis has been proud to collaborate with hundreds of organizations and individuals to advocate for the next administration to develop and implement a National AIDS Strategy. GMHC promoted a national AIDS strategy and the $1.4 million appropriation as its top federal policy priority for 2008, and cosponsored a Congressional briefing on the topic in May.

GMHC and hundreds of other groups and individuals have called on the next administration to develop and implement a National AIDS Strategy that engages multiple sectors in strategy development; is comprehensive across federal agencies; sets timelines and assigns responsibility for implementing changes; identifies targets for improved prevention and treatment outcomes and reduced racial disparities; and mandates annual reporting on progress.

For more information on the movement for a national AIDS strategy in the U.S., visit www.gmhc.org or http://www.nationalaidsstrategy.org/.

# # #
Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC) is a not-for-profit, volunteer-supported and community-based organization committed to national leadership in the fight against AIDS. We provide services and programs to over 15,000 men, women and families that are living with or affected by HIV/AIDS in New York City, and outreach and education to hundreds of thousands throughout the world. For more information, please visit www.gmhc.org.



Vanessa Brocato, JD
Assistant Director, Prevention Policy
Gay Men's Health Crisis
119 West 24th Street, 9th floor
New York, NY 10011-1913
Phone: 212.367.1240
Fax: 212.367.1235
vanessab@gmhc.org