PROJECT INFORM IN OTHER MEDIA ... 2008

State AIDS programs could be in jeopardy

by Lyanne Melendez, ABC Channel 7
January 14, 2008

(mention of Project Inform in bold below)

SAN FRANCISCO — The governor's proposed budget would cut health care spending by $1.1 billion dollars. Those cuts would include several AIDS programs.

Like millions of Californian's Leandra Rouse relies on free-community clinics for her healthcare.

"I work two jobs and although they are jobs, I have a college degree, neither of them offer health benefits so I still depend on clinics like this," said Rouse.

Governor Schwarzenegger wants to reduce funding to Medi-Cal by $1.1 billion dollars.

85-percent of the patients at Lyon Martin Women's Health Services are uninsured.

"What the governor is proposing to do is to cut those programs enormously. So our ability to provide care for people is going to be limited," said Dr. Dawn Harbatkin from Lyon Martin Women's Health Services.

The proposed budget also cuts $11 million for aids programs statewide.

Here's how the cuts would be divided:

• $7 million less for the state's aids drugs assistance program.
• $3.6 million dollars for education, prevention programs, testing and counseling would be taken away.
• $400,000 dollars less for staff training.

Cuts to the aids drugs assistance program worry a lot of advocates in San Francisco.

Antiretrovirals which have helped extend the lives of many people, are not in jeopardy, but some drugs which help manage the side effects of these anti-AIDS medications are.

"People with HIV in many cases as a side effect of their antiretrovirals are subject to losing a lot of weight and these drugs help them to maintain their weight in order to be healthy," said Dana Van Gorder from Project Inform.

Anti-psychotic drugs for people with AIDS would no longer be covered.

"For mental health issues, for schizophrenia, bi-polar, destabilizing them by taking away those medications or making them difficult to obtain will completely destabilize their HIV care," said Dr. Dawn Harbatkin.

Here in San Francisco the Department of Health has come up with some preliminary numbers. The cuts could cost San Francisco $5 million dollars.

Last week the governor acknowledged California faces tough economic times.

Rouse says even tougher for the uninsured.

"I would probably go untreated," said Rouse.