As Florida leads the nation in new HIV-infections, Florida Governor Rick Scott’s administration is placing politics over public health.
On Thursday, October 23 a bipartisan delegation of 19 state legislators representing Broward County will gather for a special public hearing on the state of HIV/AIDS in Florida. Representative Jim Waldman, who serves as Chair of the bipartisan delegation, invited the Florida Department of Health to provide the legislators with an overview of the state of HIV/AIDS in Florida, yet the State did not approve their participation.
Organized at the urging of Representative Rick Stark and Senator Eleanor Sobel, the briefing will address the alarming increase of HIV infections in Broward County. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2011 Fort Lauderdale had the highest rate of new HIV Infection cases in the nation among cities with a population of more than 500,000 people.
Florida is heavily impacted by the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and the state continues to rank third in the nation in the cumulative number of AIDS cases (126,581 in 2012) and second in the nation in the cumulative number of HIV cases (49,058 in 2012). Approximately 130,000 individuals are living with HIV disease in Florida.
Representative Stark and Senator Sobel became alarmed after meeting with people living with HIV and service providers who expressed concerns with harmful changes in the Florida AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) and AIDS Insurance Continuation Program (AICP). The Florida Department of Health is working to adopt new administrative rules that will restrict access to these critical programs designed ro be safety net programs for uninsured and underinsured people living with HIV/AIDS.:safety net programs for uninsured and underinsured people living with HIV/AIDS.
Contact
Michael Emanuel Rajner, (954) 899-0877 / MERAJNER@gmail.com
Contact
Michael Emanuel Rajner, (954) 899-0877 / MERAJNER@gmail.com
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