U. S. House of Representatives
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- The Act ensures services that directly address the HIV continuum of care are prioritized
- The Act helps ensure that areas where the epidemic is growing will have the necessary resources to eliminate gaps in the continuum of care
- The Act supports better treatment adherence and health outcomes by promoting patient-centered care and choice
- Medical Providers and Community Advocates
- Municipalities and Local Representatives
- Community Churches
April 24, 2014
Dear Chairman Upton, Ranking Member Waxman, and Members of the Committee: We, the undersigned HIV medical providers and community advocates, write to support the swift passage of the Ryan White Patient Equity and Choice Act (H.R. 4260). If we are going to finally turn the tide against HIV in America, we need to align Ryan White with new knowledge on the best approaches to control the epidemic. Most critically, we must ensure the program is focused on eliminating gaps in the number of people with HIV who are knowledgeable of their status, linked to and retained in care, and adherent to their prescribed medications – as illustrated by the “HIV care continuum.” As stated in the July 2013 presidential executive order establishing a new HIV Care Continuum Initiative, federal agencies must work to “prioritize addressing the continuum of HIV care, including by accelerating efforts to increase HIV testing, services, and treatment along the continuum.”1 Eliminating these gaps in care has become even more important as we have learned more about the impact of treatment on preventing the spread of the HIV. New studies have shown that the less of the virus a person has in him, the harder it is to transmit that virus and infect others. In fact, people with HIV who have an undetectable level of virus in their bodies have been found to be 100% non-infectious to others.2 Because HIV can only be transmitted by someone with the disease, this means we can drastically drive down the number of new infections by getting people with HIV into care keeping them adherent to treatment. Unfortunately, the vast majority of Americans with HIV are not linked to or retained in care, as illustrated by the care continuum. Of the 1.2 million Americans with HIV, 20 percent are still unidentified, only 40 percent are retained in care, and less than 30 percent have the HIV virus under control (and thus rendered noninfectious to others). Our goal has to be to eliminate these gaps, so that virtually everyone who has HIV is adherent to treatment. This will result not only in healthier people, but also in a virtual elimination of new infections. Addressing these gaps also means ensuring that funding is following the epidemic. Surveillance data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates a significant and disproportionate impact of HIV in the South.3 In addition, many states in the Midwest are now seeing a disproportionate increase in new HIV infections. Despite this trend, these states receive less Ryan White funding per person with HIV compared to other regions. Finally, we cannot successfully address gaps in the care continuum if Ryan White does not enable patients more choice in how and where they seek care. Too often individuals who utilize Ryan White services are forced to use service providers that may not meet their individual health needs. This not only leads to inefficiencies and wasted funding, but also it inhibits patients from adhering to their treatment, which means they have worse health outcomes and will potentially become more infectious to others. The Ryan White Patient Equity and Choice Act will enact desperately needed solutions to these problems by instituting the following changes:
The Ryan White Care Act has been a tremendously successful program with broad bipartisan support for many years. By reprioritizing this program, we will seize a critical an opportunity to make sure that funds are being spent efficiently to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Eliminating the gaps illustrated by HIV care continuum is possible if we take what we know and spend smarter. This work has become even more important because other providers in our health care system, such as Medicaid and private insurance, do not cover most HIV continuum services and do not have the HIV expertise of Ryan White. We know this because 70% of Ryan White patients already have some form of health insurance that does not provide these services. The implementation of health care reform does not dramatically change this situation. In fact, it creates even greater need for Ryan White – particularly in states that have chosen not to expand eligibility in their Medicaid program. Thank you for your consideration of this important matter. Our continued commitment to the Ryan White program is critical if we are to be successful in preventing the spread of HIV and saving lives. Sincerely, Medical Providers and Community Advocates: AIDS Healthcare Foundation, National Organization AIDS Outreach Center, Ft. Worth, TX AIDS Partnership, Inc., Clearwater, FL AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland, Cleveland, OH Alamo Area Resource Center, San Antonio, TX Amine Wellness, Inc., Charlotte, NC Aniz Inc., Atlanta, GA Berevard AIDS Services, Titusville, FL Carolina Equality, Columbia, SC Citywide Project, Atlanta, GA Community Health Interventions, Fayetteville, NC Community Outreach Youth Program, Inc., Fort Piece, FL Cumberland County HIV Task Force, Fayetteville, NC Eastern Virginia AIDS Network, Norfolk, VA Ecumenical AIDS Coalition, Atlanta, GA Emerald Development and Economic Network (EDEN, Inc.), Cleveland, OH EVMS AIDS Resource & Consultation Center, Norfolk, VA Extraordinary Events for Special People, Tampa, FL Free Clinic, Cleveland, OH Grace House and Hope Gardens Treatment Centers, Cumberland, County, NC Greater New Guide, Baton Rouge LA Infectious Disease Clinic for Cape Fear Valley Hospital, Cape Fear, NC Keep Hope Alive, Baton Rouge, LA Men's Health Initiative, Atlanta, GA Mental Health Services, Cleveland, OH Miami Valley Positives, Dayton, OH NAACP/Charlotte Chapter, Charlotte, NC National 100 Black Women Coalition Partnership In Health/Caring, Fayetteville, NC Positively U, Inc., Orlando, FL Regional AIDS Interfaith Network (RAIN), Charlotte, NC San Antonio AIDS Foundation, San Antonio, TX Sandy Rogers Holistic Wellness, Fulton County, GA Sickle Cell, Inc., Fayetteville, NC South Carolina Equality, Columbia, SC Southern Regional Area Health Education Center, Cumberland County, NC Synergy Health Inc., Tampa, FL Tampa Hillsborough Action Plan, Inc., Tampa, FL Thomas Family Wellness, Charlotte, NC Triangle Empowerment, Durham, NC TRUTH Project, Houston, TX United Neighborhood Children Organization (UNCO), Fort Pierce, FL Volunteers of America, OH Westside Catholic Center, Cleveland, OH Whittier Rio Hondo AIDS Project, Whittier, CA Nina B. Baltierra, Clinical Research Assistant UNC-Chapel Hill School of Medicine Kathryn E. Muessig, Assistant Professor, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health Municipalities and Local Representatives: City of Dallas, TX City of Columbia, SC City of West Columbia, SC Councilwoman C. Denise Marcelle District 7, Baton Rouge, LA Councilman Jim Manning, District 8, Richland County, SC Cumberland County, NC Cumberland County Commissioner Charles Evans, Cumberland County, NC Georgia State House Member Able Mable Mayor Chris V. Rey, Spring Lake, NC Mayor Frank Jackson, Cleveland, OH Community Churches: Bethesda AME Zion Church, Charlotte, NC Blessed Family of God Church, Fayetteville, NC Centreville Church, Centreville, MS Clement Memorial Church, Charlotte, NC CN Jenkins Presbyterian Church, Charlotte, NC Columbus Chapel AME Zion Church, Charlotte, NC Common Ground Ministries, Atlanta, GA Deliveries Temple Church, Ft. Worth, TX Gentle Spirit Church, Atlanta, GA Good Samaritan Church, Pinellas, FL Greater Piney Grove, Atlanta, GA Greenville Memorial AME Zion, Greenville, NC East St. Paul Church, Ft. Worth, TX Evening Star Tabernacle Church, Tampa, FL Have Faith Will Travel, Tampa, FL Hopewell AME Zion Church, Charlotte, NC In The Image of Christ, Ft. Pierce, FL Interfaith Community Church, Fayetteville, NC Kingdom Impact Global Ministries, Charlotte, NC Ministers Round Table of Fort Worth, TX Ministers Round Table of Dallas, TX Ministers Round Table of Austin, TX Ministers Round Table of Houston, TX Ministers Round Table of San Antonio, TX Moving Globe AME Zion Church, Charlotte, NC Mt. Carmel Baptist Church, Baton Rouge, LA Mt. Pilgrim Baptist Church, Baton Rouge, LA Myers Tabernacle AME Zion Church, Charlotte, NC New Covenant Baptist Church, St. Petersburg, FL New Freedom Missionary Baptist Church, Baton Rouge, LA New Hope Baptist Church, Baton Rouge, LA Open Door Church, Tampa, FL Our Lady of Lourdes, Atlanta, GA Reaching Out Ministries, Fort Worth, TX Reeves Temple AME Zion Church, Charlotte, NC Saint Mary Our Lady of Grace, St. Petersburg, FL Saint James AME Church, Fort Worth, TX Victory For The World Church, Stone Mountain, GA Wesley AME Zion Church, Charlotte, NC Williams Chapel Church, Spring Lake, NC 1 http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/07/15/executive-order-hiv-care-continuum-initiative 2 No-one with an undetectable viral load, gay or heterosexual, transmits HIV in first two years of PARTNER study, NAM AIDSMap, March 4, 2014. http://www.aidsmap.com/No-one-with-an-undetectable-viral-load-gay-or-heterosexual-transmits-HIV-in-first-two-years-of-PARTNER-study/page/2832748 3“ HIV/AIDS Epidemic in the South Reaches Crisis Proportions in Last Decade.” Duke Center for Health Policy and Inequalities Research. December 2011. http://southernaids.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/research-report-final-revised10-26-121.pdf Directory: wp-content -> uploads -> 2014 2014 -> For want of a nail 2014 -> Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act of 2014 2014 -> Ihbb asian Championships 2014 middle school bowl Round 4 First Quarter 2014 -> Ihbb european Championships 2014 Bowl Round 4 First Quarter 2014 -> International History Bee and Bowl 2013-14 Asian Division Question Set Bowl Round Six 2014 -> United states patent and trademark office 2014 -> Coffs harbour eisteddfod vocal syllabus 2014 -> Listen News Programs Schedule pledge now 2014 -> Slow club announce third album complete surrender Download 31.91 Kb. Share with your friends:
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