November 17, 2006

SAVE LIVES IN SOUTH CAROLINA

Your body and voice MUST get involved if we're going to save lives in South Carolina and end the ADAP waiting lists that are threatening the lives of hundreds.

Get on a caravan to Columbia this weekend, or get on the phone to state and national leaders on Monday - you're the one that could make a difference.

Caravans: Soul of the South and Atlantic Express

Caravans will be traveling to SC from around the state, throughout the South and down the Atlantic Coast from the Northeast.

FROM JACKSON

Soul of the South will depart Jackson, MS at noon on Sunday. They'll be traveling east from Jackson on I-20 through:

Meridian, MS

Tuscaloosa, AL

Birmingham, AL (ETA 4 pm)

Atlanta, GA

Decatur, GA

Augusta, GA (ETA 6:30 pm) and

If there is anyone in those areas that would like to join the caravan, contact Valencia Robinson at (601) 672-6564 to discuss a meeting location.

FROM DC

Atlantic Express will be leaving Washington, DC at 11 am on Sunday and will pick up a trail of vehicles as they drive through:

Alexandria, VA

Columbia, SC (ETA 9:00 pm)

If there is anyone in those areas that would like to join the caravan, contact Larry Bryant at (202)419-9810 to discuss a meeting location.

Phone calls Monday: three calls save lives

On November 20, make three phone calls to government officials who can stop the deaths and end the ADAP waiting lists in SC and nationwide:

1. Call SC Health Commissioner Earl Hunter at 803-898-3432 and tell him to make an immediate request to the Budget and Control Board for $3 million in emergency state funding for ADAP.
2. Call SC Budget and Control Board Executive Director Frank Fusco at (803) 734-2320 and tell him the BCB must approve $3 million in emergency state funding for ADAP.
3. Call US President George Bush at 202-456-1414 and ask him to send an emergency message to Congress asking for $641.9 million in new funding for the Ryan White CARE Act to end the waiting lists for treatment and care across the US.

These actions are organized by the South Carolina Campaign to End AIDS (SC-C2EA), a statewide grassroots organization of people living with HIV/AIDS and our supporters, dedicated to advocating for the rights of all people infected or affected by HIV/AIDS.

The Housing Works AIDS Issues Update is reported, written and edited by Diana Scholl, David Thorpe, Phil Fox Rose, Christine Campbell, terri smith-caronia and Housing Works staff. Send your feedback, leads and story ideas to d.scholl@housingworks.org.

You can reach us by phone at 212-967-1500 x168, by fax at 212-868-4222, and by email at d.scholl@housingworks.org. Housing Works provides housing, advocacy and services to homeless people living with AIDS and HIV. Housing Works is the nation's largest community-based AIDS organization and the nation's largest minority-controlled AIDS organization.

Go to http://www.hwupdate.org/update/subscribe_update.html to subscribe.