To: The Illinois State House and The Illinois State Senate
Make Good on Your Promises: Fund the African American AIDS Response Act
Due to an administrative error made last summer, the $1.5 million that you appropriated to the African American AIDS Response Act Fund (AAARAF) for FY2015 never made it to an account that would allow the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) to disperse the funds.
We urge you to act now and replenish the AAARAF, authorizing awards to the 14 organizations state-wide that were told they would be funded to provide HIV testing, counseling, and linkage to medical care services.
We urge you to act now and replenish the AAARAF, authorizing awards to the 14 organizations state-wide that were told they would be funded to provide HIV testing, counseling, and linkage to medical care services.
Why is this important?
The African American AIDS Response Act Fund (AAARAF), created by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus and passed by the General Assembly in 2006, puts scarce HIV prevention dollars in communities where they are most needed. However, as a result of an administrative error made last summer, $1.5 million that was appropriated to the African American AIDS Response Act Fund (AAARAF) simply disappeared.
Such a critical mistake is unacceptable and must be rectified immediately. According to the latest available information, African Americans account for more than half of new HIV cases diagnosed in Illinois each year. Additionally, a recent report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that 33% of African Americans between the ages of 18 and 65 years old have never been tested for HIV.
Such a critical mistake is unacceptable and must be rectified immediately. According to the latest available information, African Americans account for more than half of new HIV cases diagnosed in Illinois each year. Additionally, a recent report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that 33% of African Americans between the ages of 18 and 65 years old have never been tested for HIV.