September 23, 2003
Media Contacts:
Mary Ann T. Green, Florida AIDS Action
(813) 974-4892 / mgreen@floridaaidsaction.org

Evelyn Foust, North Carolina Division of Public Health
(919) 733-9490 / evelyn.foust@ncmail.net

Kathie Hiers, AIDS Alabama
(205) 324-9822 / kathie@aidsalabama.org

South Calls for Additional Resources to Address Regional AIDS/STD Crisis

New Orleans - During the second annual Southern AIDS Conference, convened September 17 and 18th, 2003, at the Hyatt Regency in New Orleans, AIDS leaders from across the Southern region of the United States met to address gaps in funding and treatment for persons living with AIDS in the region hardest hit by the epidemic - the South.

According to Beth Scalco, director HIV/AIDS Program, Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, "The South represents 36% of the U.S. population but accounts for 40% of all persons living with AIDS and 46% of estimated new AIDS cases. We can no longer stand by and watch AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) decimate our communities."

In response to the burgeoning health crisis in the South, the Southern AIDS Coalition created and unanimously adopted a set of Policy Statements to address issues such as equal access to prevention, outreach and treatment programs, and services for all persons living with AIDS and STDs throughout the U.S., ensuring that residents of the South will have their needs met.

One key component of this document is a request for "a special appropriation" totaling some $122 million "to be provided to Southern AIDS Coalition states in federal Fiscal Year 2004… the funds will also be required for federal Fiscal Year 2005 and every succeeding year until the Southern States' crisis is, based on epidemiological data, over."

The Policy Statements/Action Plan further describes the allocation of funding by categories:
- HIV/AIDS Prevention: $25,548,000
- HIV/AIDS Care: $34,564,000
- HIV/AIDS Medicine: $48,619,000
- HIV/AIDS Housing: $13,075,000

At a press conference held on Thursday, September 18th, Dr. Gene Copello, co-chair for the Southern AIDS Coalition and executive director of Florida AIDS Action, described the sentiments and frustrations of many at the regional meeting when he exclaimed, "It's unacceptable that, in the richest nation on earth, we have people dying waiting to access medications through AIDS Drug Assistance Programs - these death certificates should read 'cause of death: ADAP waiting list.'"

"Make no mistake, what we are facing in the South is indicative of what can and will happen throughout the rest of the nation if we do not adequately address AIDS and STDs," noted North Carolina State AIDS Director Evelyn Foust. "Tragically, North Carolina doesn't stand alone with an ADAP waiting list, 15 states have already placed restrictions on their ADAPs and states like Florida and Texas are on the verge of implementing cost saving measures."

In addition to ADAP, other issues addressed during the Southern AIDS Conference included expanding advocacy networks throughout the region; best practices in prevention, care services, and advocacy, as well as emerging populations with AIDS in the South. "This is a call to action for our communities, our elected officials and our nation, it's time to take action," declared Patrick Lee of the Eastern Traid HIV Consortium.

Hosted by the Southern AIDS Coalition, the Southern AIDS Conference brought together nearly 200 representatives from 14 Southern states and the District of Columbia, including community agencies, people living with HIV/AIDS, State AIDS Directors, ADAP Administrators, as well as federal, state and community partners from: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, DC and West Virginia.

For more information, please contact the Southern AIDS Coalition at 813-232-5886 or email SouthernAIDSCoal@aol.com. You may also visit the Coalition's website at www.southernaidscoalition.org.