News 2011
The 2011 Budget Deal's Impact on HIV/AIDS Funding
Last week, the details of the budget agreement between Congressional Republicans and Democrats were released. The Continuing Resolution, which will fund the government through September 2011, the end of the fiscal year, will cut $78.5 billion from President Obama’s 2011 budget request and $37.6 billion from 2010 funding levels.
While these cuts are massive, they are considerably smaller than those proposed in the Republican’s spending plan, H.R. 1, which would have completely defunded family planning programs, for example. After all of the major fracas over Planned Parenthood funding, spending on family planning was cut by 5 percent—too much in a nation that has the highest unintended pregnancy rate in the developed world as well as high rates of STD’s including HIV, but not as much as some had expected.
Read more: The 2011 Budget Deal’s Impact on HIV/AIDS Funding
The Black AIDS Institute is looking for
30 Black Americans 30 years old or younger
to share their views about HIV/AIDS.
You could be one!
DEADLINE: SUNDAY, May 1, 2011
2011 marks 30 years since the first cases of AIDS were diagnosed in the United States. Who would have thought that a strange disease first identified among a small group of gay men in Los Angeles would turn into the leading health issue of our time, killing tens of millions across the globe and threatening the national security of countries all over the world.
This June, the Black AIDS Institute will publish its 2011 State of AIDS in Black America report commemorating 30 years since the first AIDS cases were diagnosed in the United States. The report will include a supplement featuring 30 essays from Black Americans age 30 and younger. We want to hear from this unique generation of Black Americans who have never known life without HIV/AIDS. We invite you to share your thoughts about HIV and AIDS.
Today, Black America bears the brunt of the AIDS epidemic in the United States, accounting for nearly 50% of the estimated 1.1 million people living with HIV/AIDS, nearly 50% of the 56,000 new cases each year, and almost 50% of AIDS related deaths to date.
What do you think about the HIV/AIDS epidemic? How has it impacted your life? Even if you’ve not been touched by the disease or don’t know anyone who has, we want to know what your think. What do you think should be done to end the epidemic in Black communities? Have you’ve been tested for HIV? How was that experience for you? Have you ever met someone living with HIV/AIDS? Do you talk about HIV with your friends or partners? What do you talk about? Write to us. Share your thoughts. The world wants to know what young Black America thinks about HIV/AIDS.
Submission requirements: Submissions must be no longer than 800 words. All contributors must be age 30 or younger on June 1, 2011. Submit essays EMBEDDED within your email to
HIV-Positive Former Inmates Face New Obstacles in Society
Life isn't easy for African American men and women re-entering society after incarceration, but the prevalence of HIV in the Black community creates a new set of challenges. Many former inmates may find themselves at an increased risk of contracting HIV once they leave prison, and those who are already infected often have difficulty finding sufficient medical and emotional resources on the outside.
Read more: HIV-Positive Former Inmates Face New Obstacles in Society
Obama's Deficit Plan: A 'Nuanced Approach' Or 'So Partisan'
As President Barack Obama presented his vision for deficit reduction Wednesday, he took an evolutionary rather than revolutionary approach, saying he wanted to work with Congress to preserve the current structure of Medicare and Medicaid but make the programs more efficient.
Read more: Obama's Deficit Plan: A 'Nuanced Approach' Or 'So Partisan'
The President's Health Care Predicament
Last week marked the one-year anniversary of President Barack Obama's health reform law. It's an appropriate time to take a look back at the events of last year, and what they might mean in 2012 when the president will almost certainly be seeking reelection.