PI Action alerts & updates ... 2002

ATAC “Save ADAP” Committee Announces Critical August/September Grassroots Advocacy Campaign

Below is the first Alert from the AIDS Treatment Advocates Coalition’s ad-hoc “Save ADAP” Committee. Project Inform is very active with this group. Please forward to anyone you think might be interested.

July 30, 2002 — The Save ADAP Committee of the AIDS Treatment Advocates Coalition (ATAC) is organizing a grassroots campaign urging Congress to support a $162 million increase for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP). ADAP provides access to treatment for low-income people living with HIV/AIDS who are either uninsured or lack adequate prescription drug coverage. The program is a lifeline for thousands of people across the country who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford HIV drugs. See the ADAP fact sheet below for more information.

Right now, many state ADAPs are in a financial crisis. Twelve states are reporting restrictions to treatment access, including waiting lists, while many other states are preparing to implement restrictions in the near future. There are over 500 people on the waiting list for treatment in North Carolina alone. Severe underfunding of ADAP constitutes a public health crisis in America, not only for people living with HIV/AIDS who rely on the program for life-extending therapies, but for all Americans invested in sound health policy. The ADAP crisis is not acceptable given Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson’s recent statement that “No administration in any nation has ever made fighting HIV/AIDS as high a priority as the United States under this administration”.

AIDS treatment policy experts have stated that an increase of $162 million from the federal government is needed to help ease the ADAP crisis and enable states to meet the demands of those who rely on the program.

The ATAC Save ADAP Committee is an ad-hoc group of activists who want to make a difference. We know that the best way to convince Congress to act on this issue is for people to communicate directly with their own elected representatives.

That’s where you come in. We encourage you to participate in this grassroots campaign by engaging in as many of the following activities as you can:

1. August Recess District Visits:
Congress will be on recess from July 29 to September 3. During this recess, most members of Congress will be in their home district offices. It is an excellent time to schedule a meeting with your Representative and Senators or their staff to discuss the need for adequate ADAP and other HIV/AIDS funding. So few people ever take the time to meet in person with their elected officials that these visits are one of the most effective ways to bring about positive change. They allow members of Congress to hear directly from those most affected by an issue, such as ADAP funding.
If you are interested in scheduling a district visit, but need some help, we have created a fact sheet with tips on getting started. For a copy of this fact sheet, contact Ryan Clary at 415-558-8669 x224 or rclary@projectinform.org.

District visits focusing on ADAP are already being organized in some parts of the country by the following people. Feel free to contact them if you are in their area to find out more information:

Jean-Michel Brevelle (Maryland); 301-890-5132, jmbrevelle@earthlink.net
Steve Carroll (Oregon); 503-288-6582, stevecarroll@attbi.com
Lei Chou (New York); theaccessproject@aol.com
Mark Garrett (Washington); cruisingu@msn.com
Sue Gibson (Texas); suegibson@nova1.net
David Munar (Illinois); 312-922-2322, dmunar@aidschicago.org
Robert O’Brien (Pennsylvania); 215-803-5181, robrien@temple.edu

2. “Call your District Office Week”: August 26th–30
We are organizing a “call your district office week” from August 26–30. During this week, people around the country will be encouraged to call the local offices of their U.S. Representative and two U.S. Senators and ask them to support a $162 million increase for ADAP. If enough people make these calls, it will send a clear message to Congress before they go back to DC to make final decisions on ADAP funding. Look for an Alert the week of August 19th with more information about this call-in week and a sample phone message.

3. “Call DC Day”: September 4
We will welcome Congress back from their August recess with a national call-in day reminding them of our message: the urgent need for a $162 million increase for ADAP. Make sure you put this action in your calendar and look for an Alert at the end of August with the message to deliver!

We are relying on you to be part of this important campaign. Without our united voices raised in action, Congress may well continue to underfund ADAP, putting thousands of lives at risk.

If you would like to make sure that you receive all of our upcoming Alerts, email us at SAVEADAP@hotmail.com.

For more information, contact one of the following Save ADAP Committee members:

Bill Arnold (DC); 202-588-1775, weaids@tiicann.org
Jean-Michel Brevelle (Maryland); 301-890-5132, jmbrevelle@earthlink.net
Steve Carroll (Oregon); 503-288-6582, stevecarroll@attbi.com
Lei Chou (New York); theaccessproject@aol.com
Ryan Clary (California); 415-558-8669 x224, rclary@projectinform.org
Mark Garrett (Washington); cruisingu@msn.com
Sue Gibson (Texas); suegibson@nova1.net
Kathie Hiers (Alabama); 205-324-9822 x331, kathie@aidsalabama.org
David Munar (Illinois); 312-922-2322, dmunar@aidschicago.org
Kevin Nuttall (North Carolina); 828-251-2229, knuttall@buncombe.main.nc.us
Robert O’Brien (Pennsylvania); 215-803-5181, robrien@temple.edu

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Fact sheet: The AIDS Drug Assistance Program Crisis
What is the AIDS Drug Assistance Program?
The AIDS Drug Assistance Program is a federal program funded primarily through Title II of the Ryan White CARE Act. It provides access to HIV/AIDS treatments for low-income people who are uninsured or lack adequate prescription drug coverage. It is administered by the states and in some cases, augmented by state funding. Because it is administered by the states, programs vary widely from state to state, including number of available drugs on the formulary, eligibility criteria, etc.

The current fiscal crisis in ADAP:
ADAP is currently at a budget shortfall of $82 million. Many ADAPs across the country are experiencing financial crises, resulting in limits to treatment access. As of this writing, the following states/territories are reporting some kind of restriction to access, including waiting lists:

Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Maine, North Carolina, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, Wyoming and Guam. There are over 500 people on the waiting list for treatment in North Carolina.

Other states, including Mississippi and New York are reporting that they may need to implement some kind of restrictions soon.

What is driving the ADAP crisis?
There are several factors contributing to the ADAP problem:

• Inadequate federal funding (ADAP has received inadequate increases the past few years).
• Inadequate state funding (many states do not contribute at all to ADAP and others provide inadequate contributions).
• Increases in drug prices (several drug companies raised the prices of their HIV/AIDS drugs at the beginning of 2002, although some are now offering one to two year price freezes for their HIV-related drugs for either ADAP only or all payers).
• Increase in outreach and testing programs across the country.
• Increase in the number of people testing positive for HIV and seeking ADAP services.

How people can help:
A strong grassroots campaign is needed to advocate for a $162 million increase in federal funding for ADAP for Fiscal Year 2003 (October 1, 2002 to September 30, 2003). This figure includes the current $82 million shortfall plus $80 million increase needed in the next fiscal year to provide adequate financial relief to ADAP. A working group of advocates from the AIDS Treatment Advocates Coalition (ATAC) has formed to design this grassroots campaign, including targeted “Call Congress Days”, writing letters to the editor about the ADAP crisis, and organizing district visits with key Members of Congress during the August recess to discuss the importance of ADAP funding.

To find out how to be a part of this effort, contact Ryan Clary at Project Inform, rclary@projectinform.org or 415-558-8669 x224.

More information about ADAP can be found at www.atac-usa.org/adap.htm.