Contact: Monique.Clendinen@mail.house.gov
The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act is on its way to President Barack Obama’s desk for signature after today’s passage in the U.S. House of Representatives. Delegate to Congress Donna Christensen told the body on Wednesday morning that the four year reauthorization was important because it supports states and territories with their HIV/AIDS related programs, expanding access to early interventions, family centered care, support services for women, infants, children and youth with HIV/AIDS by providing grants to community clinics and non-profit entities that provide those services.
“We also have the opportunity to improve the Minority AIDS Initiative by removing the barriers to funding that were so insurmountable that many eligible entities did not event seek assistance,” Congresswoman Christensen said. As a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Health and as Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust, Congresswoman Christensen specifically worked to improve the Minority AIDS Initiative by increasing its funding by 5 percent a year for the next four years. It funds efforts to address the disproportionate impact of HIV/AIDS on racial and ethnic minorities to improve access, treatment, care and outcomes for racial and ethnic minorities living with HIV/AIDS. “We are helping to expand the impact of the Minority AIDS Initiative to build capacity in the nation’s hardest hit communities,” she said. “Communities of color, to include the U.S. Virgin Islands, account for a third of the total U.S. population, and more than 70 percent of new AIDS cases and 67% of people currently living with HIV/AIDS.” Other programs increased under Ryan White includes the Emergency Relief, Comprehensive Care, Early Intervention, Pediatric AIDS, Name-Based Reporting, and the National Testing Goal.
