Understanding Aids Policy In The United States

The U.S. has a HIV Prevention Policy that includes a Federal Budget Process and HIV Funding, Federal House Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Subcommittee’s, Vaccine Development programs. There are governmental organizations that are set up to study ways of preventing the spread of HIV such as the International Organization for Migration that stands up for the rights of HIV infected persons in the transportation industry. There are Federally funded Grants, and the Presidential AIDS Council and the Federal organization – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These organization and programs are all set up to protect the citizens of the United States including those citizens whom have already been infected with the HIV/AIDS.

There are quite a few U.S. AIDS Programs. One of them is the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) it was established for the purpose of aiding those who have HIV/AIDS so that persons who may not otherwise be able to afford to have the necessary drugs to combat these illnesses can have access to them. This is a state-by-state program.

To help better understand the role of the Federal Government in the HIV/AIDS issue you can visit several Websites online:

CARE Act is a Website that contains both information and tools for Ryan White Grant recipients and other s who proved programs. It is a Website maintained by the Department of Health and Human Services. The Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act (CARE) is a Federal legislation that has the purpose of meeting the health needs of persons living with HIV disease by way of funding primary health care and other support services. It was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1990 and amended twice since then. This Act cares for 500,000 individuals each year, which makes it the largest Federally, funded program that is specifically set up to help people who are living with the HIV virus. This program is for those who are either underserved by healthcare programs or are impoverished and do not have healthcare programs.. It also includes persons on Medicaid and those on private insurance who are not getting their needs met.

President Bush has been scrutinized by Federal Budget experts as not meeting the needs of the HIV/AIDS public. His AIDS programs are described as being flat-funded for domestic HIV/AIDS programs and global funding is well below projected needs as well. Inflation and rising caseloads has impacted the governments programs effectiveness even more by a decline in federally funded domestic HIV/AIDS programs as per the report by the GMHC Public Policy Department dated November/December 2004.

If you are curious about what U.S. Legislature is being currently worked on or if you wish to be informed on the U.S. policies concerning HIV/AIDS you can visit the Congress.org Website. Another legislative Website is the official Website of the U.S. Library of Congress site at thomas.loc.gov/
It is important that all citizens who care about the HIV/AIDS federally funded programs and legislature take action by contacting their governmental representatives in the House of Representatives and in the Senate by writing to them and expressing your concerns.

There are many “Calls to Action” programs that you can take part in including:

National Latino AIDS Awareness Day

AIDS Walks around the country

AIDSWatch Advocacy Event

AIDS Candlelight Memorial

Keep up with the news about the AIDS Memorial Quilt

Become involved in Medicine Recycling Programs such as: The Starfish Project. This programs takes unused medications from patients in the United States, takes off the labels and sends the medications to Nigeria to be used by patients there who might not otherwise have these medications available to them. You can find out more information about the project here: www.thestarfishproject.org/

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