Opinion :: Guest Opinions
A 2009 report card for President Obama’s HIV/AIDS initiatives by Rebecca Haag
special to Bay WindowsThursday Dec 17, 2009 Have things really changed in Washington since the Obama Administration took office last January? I would argue that the answer is yes, particularly as it relates to HIV/AIDS.
Of course, many of us are disappointed that we have not won substantive battles for greater LGBT equality and health care coverage for all, or that the dream of an era of change which was the core theme of Obama’s campaign has not been truly embraced by the powers within the Beltway. But as my politically savvy wife often reminds me, in the world of politics and public policy our measurement should be "progress, not perfection."
A Democratic majority in Congress along with the leadership of the new Administration has led to significant progress in our battle to fight new HIV infections and provide care for those already infected. It started with the appointment last spring of a Director for the Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP) in the White House. Now, this may seem minimal, but after almost four years of this office remaining unstaffed, the U.S. had virtually ignored the progression of the HIV/AIDS epidemic domestically.
Although we can’t deny the Bush Administration credit on international support of HIV/AIDS, it was openly hostile to any attempts to address core issues that drive the epidemic in our own country. They ignored science and supported abstinence-only programs despite the studies that demonstrate this strategy does not work. They also reduced funding for and did whatever possible to squash innovative and evidence-based interventions for gay men.
The Obama Administration has done just the opposite. The President appointed a gay man to run ONAP and has made it clear to the CDC that a focus on gay men in its HIV prevention plans is critical. The Administration also supports evidence based programs and did not include funding for abstinence-only programs in the President’s budget. Just last week, Congress passed a budget that demonstrated its commitment to science and did not include any set aside funds for abstinence-only programming.
The President has set three very specific goals for his Administration regarding the domestic HIV/AIDS epidemic:
• Reduce new infections.
• Ensure access to quality care for all those living with HIV/AIDS.
• Reduce health care disparities that drive the epidemic.
These goals are to be addressed through his announced National HIV/AIDS Strategy. That process has already begun with fifteen Town Meetings which have been held all over the country in the last two months and three White House meetings on HIV and Youth, Women, and Housing. This process should result in a coherent domestic strategy with measureable outcomes, timelines and accountability.
There have been two other very important achievements over the past year in the battle against HIV/AIDS: the four year extension of the Ryan White Care Act, and the removal of the ban on using federal funds for needle exchange programs.
Anyone, anywhere in our country living with HIV/AIDS has likely been supported through the Ryan White Care Act which provides access to critical medical services, life saving drugs, mental health services, housing, nutrition and a wide range of other support services. One of the late Senator Kennedy’s legacies was his support of this program and even during his illness over the summer and early fall, his staff in D.C. worked tirelessly to ensure its extension.
One of the most significant weapons in reducing HIV infections in Massachusetts has been needle exchange programs which our Legislature approved many years ago. Unfortunately, until last week, use of federal funds had been banned for over twenty years. By all counts, this has resulted in thousands of new infections and millions of additional dollars in health care costs. With Presidential support and strong House and Senate Leadership, we finally defeated the ban and can now expand the use of a valuable tool to reduce new infections in key communities around the country.
Perhaps the most compelling progress is the least tangible: a President who is willing to fight the discrimination and stigma of AIDS. He and his wife have been publicly tested. He has spoken to predominantly black audiences about the need to reduce homophobia in the black community as necessary to impacting the epidemic. Those living with HIV have been invited to the White House on numerous occasions and their input sought on important policy issues. Senior executives within the White House have even shared their own stories of the loss of family and friends to AIDS.
Let’s all work together in 2010 to ensure continued progress in eradicating this terrible disease. With Presidential leadership and grassroots mobilization, we will succeed and one day we will not just imagine but live in a world without AIDS.
Rebecca Haag is President & CEO of AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts and Executive Director of AIDS Action Council, a national HIV/AIDS advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C.
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