1. October 2008

PACHA October 2008 Resolution-C

Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA)

Resolution in Support of Increased Appropriations

WHEREAS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently announced that the annual number of new HIV infections in the United States in 2006 was 56,300, which is 40% higher than previous estimates;

WHEREAS, while there is no cure for HIV, to keep people with HIV/AIDS alive and healthy, new drug therapies must be developed;

WHEREAS, to prevent HIV infections, which is rising in certain communities and populations, behavioral and structural interventions, biomedical prevention programs, such as microbicides and a vaccine, must be developed and implemented along with HIV testing programs;

WHEREAS, people with HIV/AIDS require specialized healthcare and lifelong drug treatment to control the virus; and support services, including housing, to remain healthy; and an estimated 530,000 people with HIV/AIDS rely today on Ryan White HIV Programs for their healthcare and drug treatment; and that number is likely to increase as more people are identified as positive through HIV testing programs;

WHEREAS, the Biomedical Research and Development Price Index increased by 3.7 percent in Fiscal Year 2007, and healthcare costs are estimated to increase by 6.7 percent in 2009;

WHEREAS, funding for HIV/AIDS research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) was flat funded in Fiscal Year 2008;

WHEREAS, funding for HIV/AIDS prevention and surveillance at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was cut by $3.5 million in Fiscal Year 2008;

WHEREAS, funding for the Ryan White HIV Programs increased by only 1.4 percent in Fiscal Year 2008, while the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) received only a .6 percent increase;

WHEREAS, funding for the Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS (HOPWA) increased by only 4.9 percent in Fiscal Year 2008;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED The President's Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS urges the President, as he finalizes the Fiscal Year 2009 Appropriation measures with the Congress and develops a Fiscal Year 2010 budget, to provide increases for 1) HIV/AIDS research at the NIH; 2) HIV/AIDS prevention, testing, and surveillance programs at the CDC; 3) HIV/AIDS care, treatment, and support services through the Ryan White Program, including ADAP; and 4) housing through the HOPWA program.

October 22, 2008