Rep. Wasserman Schultz Amendment Restores $3.2 Million of Ryan White AIDS Funding

(Washington, DC)  — Community-based health centers throughout the country will be able to continue family centered HIV care because of an amendment to the Labor, Health and Education spending bill offered by Rep. Wasserman Schultz, and passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday, July 19, 2007.

“As HIV infections in women and young people continue to rise, disproportionately impacting low-income women and youth of color, Title IV programs have needed additional resources in recent years,” said Rep. Wasserman Schultz. “A $3.5 million increase to Title IV will prevent cuts to HIV services for women, children, youth and families living with HIV.” 

The Bush Administration had provided no additional funding for Title IV of the Ryan White CARE Act. This effectively cut care for numerous families throughout America because while the number of patients and costs had risen for community health centers, there had been no comparative increase in programming funds.

“Had we not increased the funding in this program, we would have been reducing the number of people that receive care from this program –at the very time the need for these services is increasing,” Wasserman Schultz stated. 

Title IV’s unique model of coordinated, family-centered care has proven successful at promoting better health.  HIV-positive children treated by Title IV have reduced hospitalizations, fewer symptoms, and fewer opportunistic infections, resulting in overall improved health and longer life. Babies are more likely to be born HIV-free if their HIV-positive mothers receive prenatal care through a Title IV program.

“On behalf of AIDS Alliance, and as a fellow Floridian, I am grateful to Rep. Wasserman Schultz’s commitment to women, children and young people living with HIV/AIDS. Her amendment, passed in the House, brings hope to providers across the country that rely on Part D (Title IV) funding and will mean real services for families struggling to meet the challenges of HIV,” said Alelia Munroe, board president of AIDS Alliance, who runs Orlando’s Part D (Title IV) program at the Howard Phillips Center- HUG-Me Program.

Nearly 90 percent of the people cared for by Title IV live below the poverty level and 88 percent are African-American or Latino.