“This is the basic function of the CDC. Where does that money go? To the states — to do testing, to do surveillance, to do outreach efforts. Who’s going to do that?” asked Carl Schmid, director at the HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute who learned of the discussions from an official within the administration.
Carl Schmid, executive director, HIV + Hepatitis Policy Institute spoke to Contagion about the court case, and why everyone should be banding together for all preventative services on order to prevent acute infections in the future as well as the value of testing to get people into the continuum of care and prevent other transmissions.
In late February, The US Business Action to End HIV, the largest coalition of employers dedicated to ending the HIV epidemic in the United States, sent a letter to Congress urging them to prioritize sustained federal funding for HIV prevention and treatment and underscoring the business sector’s commitment to advancing public health and ensuring progress in the fight against HIV. “We have two goals, one to get people who are living with HIV on treatment, and two, to prevent new acquisition of HIV,” said Carl Schmid, Executive Director, HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute.
Carl Schmid, executive director of the HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute, told Inside Health Policy the bill will benefit from public debate. “We of course would like to see a National Hepatitis C Elimination program, but it is important that a program of such magnitude be publicly introduced and debated,” he said. “To date, we have not seen a draft bill but are looking forward to seeing one and reviewing it so that Congress can benefit from the perspective of community members and others.”
In 2001, Weldon fought to block same-sex marriage in the District of Columbia. That was the first time Carl Schmid, executive director of the HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute, recalls encountering Weldon. “I hope he’s changed,” said Schmid. “How is he going to prevent HIV without outreach to the gay community and trans community and others?” Weldon was “really committed” to global HIV/AIDS programs such as President George W. Bush’s PEPFAR initiative (funding for which the Trump administration suspended in January) said Schmid. “But he also was very ingrained in the abstinence-only message.”