10th Annual AAOI Conference in Atlanta, Georgia

PRESS RELEASE

February 26, 2009


AAOI: African American Outreach Initiative Conference
10 Year Anniversary
This Conference is FREE!


What:
10th Annual African American Outreach Initiative (AAOI), a Conference whose mission and goal is to target African-Americans who are HIV +, and provide information on available services, programs and other resources with the ultimate goal of promoting and accessing primary health care. Attached is the required registration form, with directions on how to fill it out and where to send.


Contact:
Charles Shackelford for registration at 404 284-9878 or cshackelford@standinc.com

Patrick Kelly, Marketing Chair at 404 691-8880 ext 14 or pkelly@naesm.org


Where:
The Loudermilk, 40 Courtland Street. Atlanta, Georgia. 30303


When:
Saturday, March 14, 2009 7:00 AM – 5:00PM

(Breakfast 7:00am-8:00am)

Sunday, March 15, 2009 8:00 AM -5: PM

(Breakfast 8:00 am-9:00am)



The African American Outreach Initiative is a program of the African American Initiative Task Force of the Metropolitan Atlanta HIV Services Planning Council. The Task Force started as an ad hoc committee given the responsibility of developing an outreach strategy to encourage people of color to seek treatment for HIV and to maintain treatment. A diverse group of volunteers comprised of service providers, consumers, and community representatives developed its goal:


Encourage African Americans, who are HIV+, to access holistic treatment services in order to increase utilization of health care and promote medical adherence by providing information on available services, programs, and other resources.


Thank you for helping us remove HIV/AIDS from the African American community.


Patrick L. Kelly
Community Relations Manager
NAESM, Inc.
2140 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive
Atlanta, Georgia 30310
404.691.8880, ext. 14 (local)
404.691.8811 (facsimile)
pkelly@naesm.org
http://www.naesm.org

Atlanta Journal Constitution: Budget Cuts Greatly Impact State of Public Health

GEORGIA : "Concerns Mount that Budget Cuts Could Worsen Public Health Crisis"
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (11.23.08):: Andy Miller

Public health experts say recent budget cuts further jeopardize Georgia's already tenuous safety net, according to a 2007 state legislative committee report. A $1.6 billion shortfall will trigger state budget cuts of at least 6 percent, which will lead to shrinking preventive services and longer lines at clinics, advocates say.

The 2007 report noted the growing demand for services even as the pool of public health nurses shrinks. With longer wait times, "there will be an increase in infectious diseases such as TB, meningitis, hepatitis, and HIV," predicted Dr. Doug Skelton, president of the Georgia Public Health Association (GPHA).

Since 2002, the number of public health nurses has declined 16 percent, from 1,816 in fiscal year 2002 to 1,526 at present. Nursing vacancies stand at 20 percent, and a furlough of one day's leave without pay each month is seen by nurses as a 5 percent pay cut. The starting salary for public health nurses is $36,700, compared with $61,000 in the private sector.

The state also reduced by $7.5 million funding for family planning services, which includes abstinence education and birth control.

"We'll end up with thousands of unwanted and unplanned pregnancies," said Russ Toal, president-elect of GPHA. The planned move of public health from the Department of Human Resources to a new Department of Public Health "can't happen soon enough," Toal said. "It doesn't appear that public health has been a priority within DHR. We're not able to do a lot of preventive services that public health has always done."

"There are cuts and shortages everywhere; we're no different than other states," said Dr. Sandra Ford, acting state director of public health. "We've managed to find savings and continue to provide services." In the switch to a new Department of Public Health, "we'll be able to leverage our resources better and share the wealth better."

Georgia Governor Cuts State HIV Budgets

GEORGIA: "Georgia Budget Cuts May Impact Federal AIDS Funding"
Southern Voice (Atlanta) (09.26.08):: Ryan Lee

State budget cuts Gov. Sonny Perdue ordered last month could jeopardize federal Ryan White AIDS funding next year, say patient advocates and Department of Human Resources (DHR) employees. To cover a $1.6 billion shortfall in state revenues, Perdue asked all agencies to plan budgets envisioning cuts of 6 percent, 8 percent and 10 percent.

"At this time, 6 percent cuts have been made and resulted in furloughs, travel restrictions, [a] hiring freeze and limits on equipment purchases," said Taka Wiley, a DHR spokesperson. "All HIV Care contracts that receive state dollars have been cut by 1 percent."

"The obvious thing is it doesn't save the state any money when they furlough employees who are paid by federal dollars," said an employee in DHR's HIV unit, speaking on condition of anonymity. "There's no way we could do a 6 percent cut in our department," the employee said. A 6 percent cut "is going to take away federal dollars."

The proposed furloughs and other cuts have been approved by DHR's Board of Directors and will be reviewed by Perdue and the Office of Planning and Budget, said Bert Brantley, the governor's spokesperson. A final budget will not be complete until approved this spring by the Legislature, but furloughs would already be in effect, he said.

Under Ryan White rules as revised in 2006, states "cannot carry over more than 2 percent of their funds," said Jeff Graham, an AIDS activist and executive director of the gay rights group Georgia Equality. If furloughs and cuts result in more than 2 percent going unspent, that amount would be cut from Georgia's 2010 Ryan White allocation, he said.

In its 10 percent budget cut proposal, DHR recommended a $1.2 million reduction in the AIDS Drug Assistance Program. This, too, would put federal matching funds at risk. DHR officials are moving forward with the 6 percent cut; they are uncertain whether Perdue will ask for more.