Press Release: Advocates Concerned by Transfer of Funds from AIDS Program

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PRESS RELEASE                                                CONTACT: Lisa Hazirjian, Executive Director

October 26, 2012                                                                          (919) 576-0448, lisa@ncaan.com

  

Governor Perdue’s plan for funding a new expansion to pre-K programs, released yesterday to the News & Record, may endanger other critical services to North Carolina families, including access to medication for HIV/AIDS patients, advocates say.

The Governor’s Office told the News & Record on Thursday that it would fund its expansion of pre-K programming with $20M transferred from other Department of Health and Services Programs, including $5M in projected unexpended service funds from the state AIDS Drug Assistance Program.

 “Kids need healthy parents as well as pre-K programs,” said Lisa Hazirjian, Executive Director of the North Carolina AIDS Action Network.

Michelle Wilson is a mother of six who lives in Winston-Salem who has been served by the program.

“For my family, ADAP meant stability,” Wilson says. “Without the program, I wouldn’t be here today. My illness was hard on my kids. For my family, for my kids, the program was not optional. It was a necessity.”

The program currently provides HIV/AIDS medications to about 4,500 North Carolinians. State officials say that the transfer of funds should not affect any of the clients currently served by the program.

“Governor Perdue historically has been very supportive of the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS,” said Hazirjian. “We do not believe she would do anything to jeopardize access to HIV/AIDS medications to people currently served by ADAP.”

“However, we are concerned that this may restrict the program’s ability to serve clients in the future and to offer clients the range of medications that they need for other conditions that commonly affect people living with HIV/AIDS,” Hazirjian said.

In January, 2010, cost-containment measures created a waiting list for people living at between 125 and 300 percent of the federal poverty level and reduced the list of drugs available through the program.

Thanks to an infusion of federal funds, the program’s waiting list has been clear since August, but these cuts may mean that the state will have to re-open the waiting list for these lifesaving medications in the future.

Patients cannot currently receive medications for a range of health problems that often accompany HIV infection, such as diabetes, heart disease, Hepatitis C, and mental illness. This means getting the proper medications can difficult.

For instance, patients who receive drugs through hospital charity programs often must pick their drugs up in person every 30 days. This can be financially and physically challenging for patients who may live more than 100 miles from their nearest provider.

 “Funds in the AIDS Drug Assistance Program should not be diverted,” Hazirjian said. "Jeopardizing the well-being of one group of people to meet the needs of another does us no good."

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The North Carolina AIDS Action Network is a statewide advocacy organization, made of up 10,000 supporters, dedicated to fighting for the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS, their loved ones, and those at risk of acquiring HIV/AIDS in North Carolina.  For more information, visit www.ncaan.org.