Letter from Congresswoman Maxine Waters About Minority AIDS Initiative Funding

Call your congressional representative or send them the letter below by Thursday, March 11th.

The Honorable David Obey
Chairman
Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations
2358 Rayburn Building

The Honorable Todd Tiahrt
Ranking Member
Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations
1016 Longworth Building

Dear ________:

We write to request that you provide an appropriation of $610 million for the Minority AIDS Initiative in the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2011. We also request that you state clearly the amounts designated for each agency in this initiative, either in the bill itself or the accompanying report language.

Racial and ethnic minorities are severely and disproportionately impacted by the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), African Americans accounted for 51% of HIV/AIDS diagnoses in 2007, although only 12% of the population is black. Hispanics accounted for 18% of HIV/AIDS diagnoses, although only 15% of the population is Hispanic. Asian Americans accounted for 1% of HIV/AIDS diagnoses, and American Indians/Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders each accounted for up to 1%. Combined, minorities represented more than 70% of HIV/AIDS diagnoses in 2007.

These statistics demonstrate the tremendous importance of the Minority AIDS Initiative. This critical initiative provides funds to community based organizations and health care providers to help them address the HIV/AIDS epidemic within the minority populations they serve. The Minority AIDS Initiative is designed to enable organizations and providers in minority communities to improve their capacity to deliver culturally and linguistically appropriate care and services. Thus, it fills gaps in prevention, testing, treatment, surveillance, infrastructure, outreach and education across communities of color.

We urge you to provide $610 million for the Minority AIDS Initiative in fiscal year 2011. We thank you for your attention to our concerns, and we look forward to working with you to expand programs for the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS in minority communities throughout the United States.

Sincerely,