HIV+Hep in the News

As summarized by the HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy organization, domestic HIV care and treatment programs appear to be largely preserved, but HIV prevention is left out, the Bay Area Reporter previously reported. Most treatment-related components of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program would remain intact, but it could lose ancillary services such as dental care. AIDS housing programs are slated to take a hit. The budget proposal does not include Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funding for HIV prevention, and it is not yet known whether this will be eliminated or moved to another part of HHS.

“Out of 10 branches of the HIV prevention division, five were cut,” said Carl Schmid, executive director of the HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute, who laments that the federal budget is very political, with wording like “woke liberal.” He points out an even bigger problem for public health: drastic staff reductions at the CDC. “Now they don’t have staff to support grants, so they’re cancelling those and letting state and local governments take over.”

The HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute reported that the budget, which was released May 2, “completely ignores HIV prevention at the CDC, which includes surveillance, testing, and PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) programs.”

“We have already seen a dismantling of many domestic HIV programs with staff cuts, grant terminations, and offices shut down, and [the May 2] budget confirms the dangerous direction we are headed in,” HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute executive director Carl Schmid, a gay man, stated. “We look forward to explaining to the Congress the critical federal role in addressing infectious diseases, such as HIV and hepatitis, and the serious implications and consequences to the health of our country if these programs are not adequately supported.”

“On the positive side, it appears that most existing HIV care and treatment programs, including most components of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program and its part of the Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) initiative, would remain intact,” Carl Schmid, executive director of the HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute, said in a statement. “However, the budget completely ignores HIV prevention at CDC, which includes surveillance, testing, PrEP [pre-exposure prophylaxis] programs, and linkage to care. It is not known if it is zeroed out, cut, or moved to another part of HHS.”