Leading LGBT magazine of South Florida

Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) is urging United States Senate leaders to do more in terms of federal funding for the struggling AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP). In a letter to the Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Nelson acknowledges proposed federal increases to ADAP

for next year but comments that “more must be done” and urged him “to join in support of robust funding for programs like ADAP that offer real hope to Americans enduring the throes of this debilitating disease.”

As the Senator noted, ADAPs around the country, including most notably Florida, are facing severe funding crises due to the state budget pressure from the economic downturn and require a greater commitment from the federal government. There are currently nearly 3,000 people across the country on ADAP waiting lists, with 1,178 being in the State of Florida. The situation is getting worse each and every week and without additional funding, more people will be without ADAP drugs.

Florida HIV/AIDS advocates from around the state, including representatives of The AIDS Institute, the Florida HIV/AIDS Advocacy Network (FHAAN) and national organizations such as the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors, have been meeting with the Senator’s office over the last couple of months to brief him on the Florida ADAP crisis. One advocate, Michael Emanuel Rajner, an HIV positive person and ADAP consumer living in Ft. Lauderdale, recently had an opportunity to sit down with the Senator and explain the situation and why his leadership was necessary. “Upon hearing the situation in Florida, the Senator expressed alarm and gave me his commitment that he would work on potential solutions,” commented Rajner. “This letter to the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee is a great start,” added Rajner, “now we must make sure he will continue to follow through as the Congress finalizes the ADAP funding level for next year and the years to come.”

“We realize that ADAP is primarily a federally funded program, but the State of Florida plays a critical role as well,” added Michael Ruppal, Executive Director of The AIDS Institute. “In addition to calling on our representatives in the Congress, we call on the Governor and the State Legislature to increase the state contribution to Florida’s ADAP this year in a special session of the legislature,” added Ruppal.