MAP Advocate Vol. 7 No. 3

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MAP Advocate

AIDS Advocacy Update
Vol. 7 No. 3
February 20, 2001

Activists Descend on the State Capitol
The Price of HIV Stigma
New Infections Increase, HIV Budget Decreases
What's the Deal with the White House AIDS Office?
Take Action! Pick-Up the Phone of Peck-out an E-mail

Activists Descend on the State Capitol

AIDS advocates came to the State Capitol on February 15 to lobby for money and policies to fight stigma and discrimination around HIV. Advocates asked lawmakers to support increased funding for HIV/STD education and improved health care data privacy protections. Legislators were also asked to oppose the Governor's health and education budget proposals which reduce HIV prevention resources by $500,000.

The Price of HIV Stigma

Fears of stigma and discrimination often result in self-imposed barriers to health care, according to recent needs assessment surveys. The emotional cost of these fears is high, but difficult to measure. The financial costs are very real. Nearly 1/3d of the people newly reported as having HIV disease already have advanced stage illness resulting in an AIDS diagnosis. Many waited to test due to fear and stigma about HIV. Nearly half of those interviewed in one survey were not receiving medical care, and unease over the use of their data was often cited as the reason. People with HIV will go without health insurance for fear of having to disclose their status.
For more information, see the current issue of the MAP AIDSLine Brief.

New Infections Increase, HIV Budget Decreases

According to published reports, 340 new cases of HIV infection were reported in Minnesota in 2000. This was a 10% increase increase over published figures from 1999. It brings an end to five years of slight, though stead decline. It makes the Governor's proposal to shift $250,000 from HIV prevention to general STD prevention more puzzling. Administration officials say HIV and STD prevention strategies are similar; this is a rearrangement rather than a reduction. MAP contends there are both similarities and important differences, and increases in funding to address both epidemics is the way to go. To that end, MAP is pushing for $1.6 million in HIV prevention funding and $1 million for STD prevention above what is in the Govenor's budget.

What's the Deal with the White House AIDS Office?

Rumor and expectation over the past weeks was the Bush administration would close the White House AIDS Office. Those expectations were confirmed with an announcement by the President's chief of staff on February 7. Due to inside lobbying, some say the appeals of Lynn Cheney and Mary Matalin, the administration reversed itself the next day. So, now that there is a White House AIDS office, the question becomes what kind of HIV expert will the administration pick to lead it?

Take Action! Pick-up the Phone or Peck-out an e-mail

So you couldn't make it to the Capitol for AIDS Action Day on February 15? You can still make yourself heard.

Make a phone call or send an e-mail. Leave a message saying you support increased in HIV and STD prevention funding to fight stigma and discrimination. Need to know who to call and what their number is? Call MAP community affairs. Visit our web site at www.mnaidsproject.org and use the political machine to send an e-mail directly to your legislators.

Last Updated: Friday, March 30, 2007
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