February 23, 2007
SOUTHERN COMFORT
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Karen Bates gets serious about $8 million in 2008 |
Last Tuesday, standing under the imposing rotunda of the South Carolina capitol building, South Carolina C2EA cochair Karen Bates experienced a historic moment: A well-attended press conference at which some 80 advocates from across the state called on the legislature to invest $8 million into the state's AIDS Drugs Assistance Program (ADAP) and core HIV services. To AIDS crusaders up North, that might sound relatively everyday, but in South Carolina, it was unprecedented.
"I was extremely excited and encouraged by the fact that so many people came together on this one issue," Bates says in her energetic twang. "You had healthcare providers and consumers from all over the state united together to deliver one message—stop folks from dying needlessly from HIV in South Carolina." Bates hopes this love fest will lead agencies to abandon in-fighting fueled by competition for the state's scarce AIDS dollars. "When we fight each other, nobody can win. Coming together is the only way to address South Carolina's AIDS crisis."
Running the Numbers
The situation in South Carolina has become one of the best examples of how dire things are for low-income people with HIV under the U.S.' current health care system. The state contributes a paltry $500,000 to ADAP, the federal/state program that buys expensive AIDS drugs for poor folks. That stinginess has created a shocking 432-person wait list for meds, the longest in the country. Four people have already died on the wait list. The state is also consistently among the top 10 nationwide for new HIV infections.
"I get my meds through Medicaid," says Bates, "but you never know, one day I or anybody else might have to turn to ADAP for help." Bates, 54, was diagnosed in 1998.
At the press conference, advocates announced their "8 by 8," campaign that refers to the 2008 target date for the $8 million in funding. South Carolina has some 15,000 people with HIV or AIDS. Nearby Alabama and Tennessee have fewer cases but pay $5 million and $3 million respectively into ADAP.
Bates has been at the forefront of South Carolina's ADAP and AIDS-funding crusade, which is gaining momentum. The state's doctors are going into activist mode and state democratic rep. Joe Neal is spearheading the "8 by 8" campaign inside the legislature. Bates thinks the tide might be turning. "When I see small victories like today, it encourages me," she says.