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Governor jumpstarts National Aids Week with additional funding for HIV/AIDS awareness in minority
Gov. Rod Blagojevich increased state funding for minorities by $1 million Sunday as the nation prepared to observe the 16th annual AIDS Day.
The funding will be used in addition to the $2 million already earmarked for this fiscal year.
"The governor increased funding among minority communities because unfortunately that is where the disease is spreading fastest," said Abby Ottenhoff, spokeswoman for Blagojevich. "But overall, it's a serious public health threat. And we now know how it is transmitted, we know how to prevent it, and he wants to make sure we're doing everything we can to spread that information."
The money, which has not yet been distributed, will be used for counseling, testing, housing, education and prevention among minority communities.
"There are a number of things people can do to reduce the risks," said Tom Schafer, spokesman for the Illinois Department of Public Health. "You should limit your sexual partners, but if you do have multiple partners, you should make sure you are wearing a latex condom."
"If you're sharing needles, you shouldn't be. You should use a clean needle. But if you do share needles, there is a way to clean them in between use. Shooting up drugs is illegal, but we realize people do still engage in those activities, and we want them to be as safe as possible."
While African Americans represent only 15 percent of the state's population, they account for almost 60 percent of the 3,100 AIDS cases diagnosed in Illinois since 2001, according to Schafer.
The Jackson County Health Department provides services for people living with HIV in the 15 lower counties of Illinois. It has 98 clients who have been diagnosed with the virus, and of those clients, 17 are African American.
Miriam Link-Mullison, administrator for the health department, said although state trends show an increase in the number of minorities with AIDS in relation to the total population, demographics in Southern Illinois do not reflect the rest of the state.
Illinois' AIDS Drug Assistance Program provides life-saving drugs to 2,818 clients a month who meet an income requirement at or below 400 percent of the poverty level, according to the Kaiser Report.
The General Assembly approved $5.1 million in additional federal funding for the state's ADAP program.
It accounts for $35 million of Blagojevich's HIV/AIDS total budget of $55 million for the Illinois Department of Public Health this year.
"It deals with treatment," Ottenhoff said. "The purpose of this program is to make sure low-income people have access to the drugs and treatments needed to live longer, healthier lives with HIV," Ottenhoff said.
Link-Mullison praised Illinois' ADAP, saying many clients were thankful they did not have to be placed on a waiting list to receive funding.
"With drugs being so expensive, it would be unaffordable," she said. "Not too many people have a job that allows them to pay 24,000 annually on prescription drugs alone."
In Jackson County Health Department, 33 of 98 clients receive funding through ADAP.
The majority of clients who do not receive funding through ADAP receive assistance through Medicare, while there are a few clients who must rely on funding from private insurance companies, according to Link-Mullison.
She said the department focuses on individuals who are high risk by focusing on prevention methods and outreach efforts.
"I don't think the statistics would say we have seen decreases in infection rates, but we are definitely seeing decreases in mortality or death rates based on the fact that people are accessing the medication," Link-Mullison said. "It's hard to tell whether we are seeing decreases in actual infection rates. It's leveled off rather than continuing to expand as it was, but we have failed to reverse the trend yet."
