• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Feds Signal Cutoff of AIDS Funds Over Faulty HIV Reporting System, According to AIDS Healthcare Foundation

Posted on: Wednesday, 27 July 2005, 21:00 CDT

LOS ANGELES, July 27 /PRNewswire/ -- On the heels of the Bush Administration's announcement today on its plan to overhaul the Ryan White CARE Act, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the US' largest AIDS organization which operates AIDS treatment clinics in the US, Africa, Central America and India, and also operates the largest alternative, community-based HIV testing program in California conducting more than 14,000 HIV tests annually, reiterated its concerns that California stands to lose up to $50 million annually in federal AIDS funding unless the state scraps its current code-based HIV reporting system.

"Without a names-based system in California, the federal government will be forced to allocate California's share based on another formula, such as AIDS cases, that will understate the impact on California," said Michael Weinstein, President of AIDS Healthcare Foundation. "Today, HHS has echoed the Centers for Disease Control in outlining what data methodology will be acceptable to government agencies, and the indications are clear that names-based HIV reporting will be the only acceptable format beginning in fiscal year 2007. AHF urges all California AIDS advocates and agencies to work together with the Legislature to transition to a names-based reporting system with sufficient safeguards in place."

Under the Ryan White CARE Act Reauthorization of 2000, the federal government will begin allocating federal HIV/AIDS funds to states and local governments by number of HIV cases on October 1, 2006. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has determined that the most accurate method of HIV test data collection is by name of the test subject. CDC will accept only names- based test data. CDC accepts aggregated data only, not names. However, current California law prohibits the identification of a test subject except with the written consent of the test subject. Therefore, California HIV test results currently are collected based on a non-name, unique identifier basis. The CDC refuses to accept that data.

In its Fact Sheet outlining the "Ryan White Care Act Reauthorization Principles," (released today) the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) also noted that in order to increase accountability and flexibility in the CARE Act, agencies should:

* Maintain the Current Statutory Requirement That All States Submit HIV Data By the Start of Fiscal Year 2007. Having a full picture of the scope of HIV is critical to successful care and treatment programs that prevent people from advancing to AIDS; because newer infections are increasingly likely to take place among minorities, this provision will better target funds to heavily impacted communities and aid in getting people into care sooner.

On Monday, (July 25 2005) the "Los Angeles Times" reported that California's current system "has failed" and the state may ultimately lose up to $50 million annually in federal AIDS funding unless the current system is scrapped.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation

CONTACT: Ged Kenslea, Communications Director of AIDS HealthcareFoundation, +1-323-860-5225, or mobile, +1-323-791-5526

Source: PRNewswire

More News in this Category