Mine is the 4th one, .
ACT UP Philly blogger does guest column for Housing Works Update
All the articles in this episode of the update are great! Check them out at http://www.housingworks.org/news-press/category/aids-issues-update/
PA Statewide Conference Call on HIV/AIDS Ryan White (Part B) $ that was returned!
Statewide Conference Call on HIV/AIDS
Aug 4th @ 2pm, 218 339 4300, secret code: 787353#
We need to come together as a state to make sure that the needs of all people living with HIV/AIDS are being met. A first step is to hold the State Office of HIV accountable for not using money they were already awarded and for not applying for additional money.
The state returned over $11 million in Ryan White funds to the federal government that can not be used again in a future year. This is especially concerning because of the proposed severe social services cuts to the State budget. We gave back money that was already given to us in the face of a statewide budget crisis! This is ADAP money, which could have been used in innovative ways to assist with copays, deductibles and premiums. This is in addition to the Minority AIDS Initiative money that was not applied for and cannot be applied for again until the end of the full three year cycle of the grant.
Please join us to discuss this issue and raise other state issues. If you are unable to be on the conference call, please emailpastatewidehivlist@gmail.com with your contact information to receive notes and be included in future activities.
Good News / Bad News from the House of Representatives
Good news first:
The House of Representatives finally lifted the ban on federal funding for syringe exchange programs! They passed an appropriations bill without that nasty little sentence...
It was a close vote, too, 218 to 211 so thanks and congratulations to everyone who worked on this, whether it was emailing or calling their Representative, writing a letter to the editor, sitting down for a meeting with a Representative's office, attending a demonstration, or even getting arrested in the US Capitol Building. It's been 20 years of hard work, but it paid off...
Now the bad news:
The House of Representatives included language restricting where needle exchanges can occur. Specifically, they can't be within 1000 feet of any school, daycare, playground, park, pool, video arcade, or youth center.
Practically this means there is literally nowhere they can operate in most urban neighborhoods. Want proof? Check out these maps...
Philadelphia:
Zoomed in on one of the neighborhoods where you might have thought you could squeeze something in -- note how even more schools show up and you realize nope, it's really impossible:
Just in case you thought it was Philly-specific, here's South East Washington DC:
And in case you're thinking this will only be a problem on the East Coast, here's downtown Des Moines, IA:
All of these maps were created by using Google Earth to locate all of the schools, daycares, playgrounds, parks, pools, video arcades, and youth centers within a town, and then using Geometer's Sketchpad to draw 1000-foot radius circles around each location. If you know of an easier way to do this, please comment!
Also, feel free to use these maps, but please give credit to ACT UP Philly and this blog. http://actupphilly.blogspot.com
Finally, if you'd like me to make a map of your city or town, please leave a comment.
The House of Representatives finally lifted the ban on federal funding for syringe exchange programs! They passed an appropriations bill without that nasty little sentence...
It was a close vote, too, 218 to 211 so thanks and congratulations to everyone who worked on this, whether it was emailing or calling their Representative, writing a letter to the editor, sitting down for a meeting with a Representative's office, attending a demonstration, or even getting arrested in the US Capitol Building. It's been 20 years of hard work, but it paid off...
Now the bad news:
The House of Representatives included language restricting where needle exchanges can occur. Specifically, they can't be within 1000 feet of any school, daycare, playground, park, pool, video arcade, or youth center.
Practically this means there is literally nowhere they can operate in most urban neighborhoods. Want proof? Check out these maps...
Philadelphia:
Zoomed in on one of the neighborhoods where you might have thought you could squeeze something in -- note how even more schools show up and you realize nope, it's really impossible:
Just in case you thought it was Philly-specific, here's South East Washington DC:
And in case you're thinking this will only be a problem on the East Coast, here's downtown Des Moines, IA:
All of these maps were created by using Google Earth to locate all of the schools, daycares, playgrounds, parks, pools, video arcades, and youth centers within a town, and then using Geometer's Sketchpad to draw 1000-foot radius circles around each location. If you know of an easier way to do this, please comment!
Also, feel free to use these maps, but please give credit to ACT UP Philly and this blog. http://actupphilly.blogspot.com
Finally, if you'd like me to make a map of your city or town, please leave a comment.
2 bits of good news!
Friday was a good day for AIDS activists and people with HIV in the US. The House Appropriations Committee passed an appropriations bill that, for the first time in 11 years, did NOT ban funding on syringe exchange. In addition, they also passed an appropriations bill that increased funding for Housing Opportunities for People With AIDS (HOPWA) programs to $350 million, $40 million more than last year.
This is exciting news, but the process isn't over yet.
One bad amendment was accepted on syringe exchange, which mandates that federally funded syringe exchanges cannot operate within 1,000 feet of a school, park, public pool, arcade, or several other types of places--which would make syringe exchange in urban areas nearly impossible. Another amendment was considered to fully reinstated the ban. This failed, 33 to 24. Thank goodness!
We can expect more of the same, or even worse, this week when the full House votes on the appropriations bill. We will need to defeat those amendments and make sure the ban on funding of syringe exchange stays out of the appropriations bill.
So what happens now? After the House considers the appropriations bill, the Senate will need to pass their version. We will work to ensure the Senate version removes the ban on funding syringe exchange, with *no restrictions*, and increases funding for AIDS housing programs.
Anyone who doubts the power of grassroots action and protest to make change, take note - last week, 26 people were arrested in the Capitol Rotunda calling for an end to the federal ban on funding of syringe exchange, and increased funding for AIDS housing and global AIDS programs. And guess what? We're well on our way to win all three!
This is exciting news, but the process isn't over yet.
One bad amendment was accepted on syringe exchange, which mandates that federally funded syringe exchanges cannot operate within 1,000 feet of a school, park, public pool, arcade, or several other types of places--which would make syringe exchange in urban areas nearly impossible. Another amendment was considered to fully reinstated the ban. This failed, 33 to 24. Thank goodness!
We can expect more of the same, or even worse, this week when the full House votes on the appropriations bill. We will need to defeat those amendments and make sure the ban on funding of syringe exchange stays out of the appropriations bill.
So what happens now? After the House considers the appropriations bill, the Senate will need to pass their version. We will work to ensure the Senate version removes the ban on funding syringe exchange, with *no restrictions*, and increases funding for AIDS housing programs.
Anyone who doubts the power of grassroots action and protest to make change, take note - last week, 26 people were arrested in the Capitol Rotunda calling for an end to the federal ban on funding of syringe exchange, and increased funding for AIDS housing and global AIDS programs. And guess what? We're well on our way to win all three!
Police arrest 26 AIDS activists at Capitol protest
"A group of AIDS activists was arrested Thursday for unlawfully demonstrating in the Capitol rotunda, a Capitol Police spokeswoman said. ...
"The activists carried signs in support of funding for needle exchange, HIV/AIDS housing and programs aimed at fighting AIDS. They chanted, 'Fight global AIDS now,' and, 'Clean needles save lives.' They marched in a circle before lying down on the floor. ...
"The activists were part of a coalition of five AIDS groups from Washington, Philadelphia and New York. They included ACT UP Philadelphia, DC Fights Back, Health GAP, New York City AIDS Network and Housing Works."
Read more in Associated Press, July 10, 2009.
Note:
See photos at http://www.sound-the-alarm.org/photos2.html
Full press coverage at http://www.sound-the-alarm.org/documents/July9thpress.pdf (15MB download).
"The activists carried signs in support of funding for needle exchange, HIV/AIDS housing and programs aimed at fighting AIDS. They chanted, 'Fight global AIDS now,' and, 'Clean needles save lives.' They marched in a circle before lying down on the floor. ...
"The activists were part of a coalition of five AIDS groups from Washington, Philadelphia and New York. They included ACT UP Philadelphia, DC Fights Back, Health GAP, New York City AIDS Network and Housing Works."
Read more in Associated Press, July 10, 2009.
Note:
See photos at http://www.sound-the-alarm.org/photos2.html
Full press coverage at http://www.sound-the-alarm.org/documents/July9thpress.pdf (15MB download).
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