Present Situation
This past January, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg released his preliminary budge proposal. The purpose of this “January Plan” is to predict the impact of revenues and expenses in New York City’s overall fiscal health. Above all, this plan allows readers to easily identify how city-funded programs will either increase or be cut.
Because the Mayor is challenged with closing a $4 billion budget deficit for New York City for the fiscal year of 2009-2010, city agencies, such as uniformed services, schools, and HIV/AIDS city-funded programs are targeted for reductions. It seems as if the worst proposed cuts are toward “HIV nutrition programs, the reduction in case management at supportive housing programs, and the reduction in HIV prevention contracts at community based organizations” (Village Care of NYC). Also, any housing provided to HIV/AIDS patients will be in jeopardy. In addition to these programs, funding for several other HIV/AIDS programs will be cut, and all cuts will be substantial, causing a drastic impact on those targeted services, if not eliminating them entirely.
Mayor Bloomberg
“These cuts represent a dramatic curtailment of the City’s commitment to those living with AIDS” (Village Care of NYC). The Mayor has even proposed to phase out some of NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene financed HIV prevention contracts. This is a great concern because of the rising number of new HIV/AIDS infected patients every year – over 3,700. Even though every new infected patient costs the city staggering amounts of money, the City should focus on more HIV prevention, not less.
Rally Against Mayor Bloomberg
The HIV community responded to the Mayor’s January Plan and his targeted cuts to HIV programs by organizing a rally on the steps of City Hall. One of the speakers, an HIV nutritionist named Edwin Krales said at the rally, “If sick people aren’t eating properly, their very expensive medications will not work effectively. Poor eating that leads of malnutrition damages the immune system, which accelerates the progression from HIV to AIDS, opens the door to more opportunistic infections and, therefore, increases the cost of care.” In an act of civil disobedience, Housing Works, a nonprofit organization focused on caring for those with HIV/AIDS, protested in front of City Hall on Wednesday May 5th. The Mayor was not in his office – he was visiting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to discuss the swine flu outbreak. A spokeswoman for Housing Works, Diana Scholl said, “AIDs has proven far more lethal than swine flu. AIDs has been going around for 20 years.”
The HIV advocacy community his now attempting to educate the City Council about the impact that any reductions would have on patients with HIV/AIDS.
1. Barbaro, Michael. An AIDs Protest, Steps From the Mayor’s Office. 6 May 2009. Accessed 10 May 2009.
<cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/06/aids-activists-protest-outside-mayors-office/>
2. Published by: Village Care of New York. Mayor Bloomberg Releases His Preliminary Budget (January Plan) Proposal would slash funding for many HIV services. 18 Feb. 2009. Accessed 10 May 10, 2009.
www.vcny.org/uploads/File/AIDSWatch-Feb_18-09.pdf
3. www.letterneversent.com/bloomberg-aids-legalization-efforts/253 5 May 2008. Accessed 10 May 2009.