June 1, 2007
OUCH!
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The feds' Ryan White cuts where anything but surgical |
It's a good thing that New York City's Ryan White Planning Council prepared for huge funding cuts— because they're here. Last week the Health Resources and Services Administration announced that New York City would receive $75 million in base funding and $25 million in supplemental dollars, or $20 million less than the previous year's $120 million Ryan White award. AIDS advocates are keeping their fingers crossed that the city will still receive $10 million in Minority AIDS Initiative (MAI) money when MAI awards are announced in August. Even with the MAI funds, New York City would still face a $10 million shortfall and the painful curtailments to programs and services that would go with it.
"The number of new infections continues to go up, but there's a decrease in federal money!" said terri smith-caronia, Housing Works director of New York City public policy. "The Planning Council was smart enough to strategize in advance, but no matter what, this is still a huge blow." Harlem United Director for Policy and Development and Planning Council member Soraya Elcock agreed. "You can't take the federal government off the hook just because we have a plan. They need to know that if they take away New York State dollars, they are going to have a problem," she said.
Earlier this year, aware that Ryan White money was being reallocated to accommodate underfunded areas of the country, the Planning Council created a strategy to handle up to an $18 million shortfall, theoretically moving around funds to lessen the blow. Although 75 percent of Ryan White funding must be devoted to "core" medical services, New York City shifted priorities so that items such as nutrition, once covered in supplemental funding, are now a part of core funding. According to the Planning Council system, if the city sustains more than an $11 million loss in funding, an agreed upon ranking order determines the proportion of funding each program will lose.
"The city should kick in money"The best hope for filling in the multimillion dollar funding gap is Mayor Bloomberg and the City Council, but neither has given any indication that the city will pony up tax dollars to do so. That angers HIV/AIDS advocates. "Other cities like San Francisco kick in more in local funds than New York does. The city should kick in tax levy dollars. That's viable," said Darryl Ng, a member of the Planning Council and director of NYC public policy for the Community Care Association of New York State.
Using city funds would have the added advantage of flexibility, since, unlike federal money, city dollars aren't designated only for medical services. "And we need those support services," said Elcock. "If this epidemic were just about getting your prescription filled, it would be over already." Added smith-caronia, "The federal government doesn't think food and housing are necessary. The city could expand funding for those services, but it hasn't stepped up to the plate."
Ask Mayor Bloomberg and your City Council member to replace all lost funding! Contact Mayor Bloomberg and your city councill representative.