geminigirl (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
geminigirl) wrote2003-02-04 10:51 pm
geminigirl) wrote2003-02-04 10:51 pm
Making your voice heard
February 5th is AIDS Awareness Day in the Virginia State Assembly. There are a few bills on the floor which I'm asking my friends to take the time to consider and to make a phone call to your legislators in Richmond. You can find out who to call at http://legis.state.va.us/
VORA (Virginia Organizations Responding to AIDS ASKS YOU:
To Oppose HB 1499
. HB 1499 would discourage young men and women from seeking testing
and treatment for STD.s . including HIV/AIDS.
. HB 1499 would hamper efforts to decrease the spread of HIV/AIDS
among young people by discouraging them from visiting public clinics.
. HB 1499 makes Virginia the only state in the nation to ignore the
expertise of Public Health Professionals and their support of public
policy allowing minors to consent to STD testing and treatment without
parental notice or consent!
It's well documented that parental notification interferes with young people seeking reproductive health services. The Alan Guttmacher Institute, the American Medical Association and Planned Parenthood have all spoken out against it. I realize that parental involvement can be very important, but more often, it endangers access to care for young people. About half of the 1100 young women suveyed for one study said that if parental notification were mandatory they would stop accessing reproductive health care services-at the same time. An additional 12% said they would change their use of the services. Of those who said they would stop using health care services, 99% said they would not stop having sex. The reality is, it's dangerous to mandate parental notification. It hasn't been shown to reduce sexual activity among young people, and it has been shown to interfere with their access to care.)
To Support HB 2222 and SB 1169
. HB 2222 / SB 1169 insures that medications to treat HIV/AIDS will
continue to be available to HIV+ inmates in local & regional jails.
I wrote extensively on this back in grad school, and my paper went to the NY State Assembly. Better treatment is more cost effective-it's cheaper to provide medication than it is to provide medical care. It also means that the virus is more controlled and harder to spread. Changing medication, or eliminating medication potentially allows more drug resistant, more powerful strains of HIV to be out and about and possibly infecting other people.
Support the .Carve Out. of HIV/AIDS Medicines from the pending Medicaid Preferred Drug List Program
. Conform the Budget Language in Item 325 to insure that Persons
Living with HIV/AIDS and enrolled in Medicaid do not have to lose or
change medications solely because of requirements of a Preferred Drug
List.
See above-similar ideas to the prison access stuff. Repeated changes in medication, especially if medication is still working allows the virus to become more able to resist medications. More drug resistant strains out there mean new infections that are harder to treat.
Oppose Budget Language that Limits Access to Health Care Services
. Budget language proposed by House Appropriations to Item 4-5.05
#1h would impact public health clinics, teaching hospitals, non-profit
health care services, all of which serve to save state costs by providing
early access to primary and preventive health care services . including
testing and treatment for HIV/AIDS.
The offending language reads, .No expenditures from general, special or
other nongeneral fund sources may be made out of any appropriation by the
General Assembly for services provided by any organization providing
abortion or abortion counseling services..
Whether or not you're pro or anti choice personally, a lot of organizations that provide abortion related services also provide testing and treatment for HIV. The more you limit access to testing and treatment the more risk you allow out in the community. This isn't really about pro or anti-choice. This is about protecting communities and lowering risk.
Support State Funding for HIV/AIDS Prevention, Testing and Treatment
. State General Fund dollars, used in conjunction with local, federal, and private funding, insures that prevention, testing, and
treatment services are available to any Virginian looking for this
critical care. VORA asks that Virginia.s General Fund contribution toward
these services be maintained throughout these austere budget days, to meet
needs today & prevent a more costly future.
Just like everyone else, AIDS Service Organizations accross the state are losing money due to budget cuts. Preserve as much funding as possible to promote testing and treatment and education at the local and regional levels, and this will help reduce the new infection rate. As a NoVaN-(northern virginia resident for those of you not aware) I'm concerned. DC has an infection rate 12% higher than the national average. And considering how much we cross the border sometimes, to go out, to date, to have fun and so on, we're all affected. Speak up tomorrow, make a call or two. I'll be in Richmond trying to kick some butt.
Check http://www.VORAonline.org for more information
VORA (Virginia Organizations Responding to AIDS ASKS YOU:
To Oppose HB 1499
. HB 1499 would discourage young men and women from seeking testing
and treatment for STD.s . including HIV/AIDS.
. HB 1499 would hamper efforts to decrease the spread of HIV/AIDS
among young people by discouraging them from visiting public clinics.
. HB 1499 makes Virginia the only state in the nation to ignore the
expertise of Public Health Professionals and their support of public
policy allowing minors to consent to STD testing and treatment without
parental notice or consent!
It's well documented that parental notification interferes with young people seeking reproductive health services. The Alan Guttmacher Institute, the American Medical Association and Planned Parenthood have all spoken out against it. I realize that parental involvement can be very important, but more often, it endangers access to care for young people. About half of the 1100 young women suveyed for one study said that if parental notification were mandatory they would stop accessing reproductive health care services-at the same time. An additional 12% said they would change their use of the services. Of those who said they would stop using health care services, 99% said they would not stop having sex. The reality is, it's dangerous to mandate parental notification. It hasn't been shown to reduce sexual activity among young people, and it has been shown to interfere with their access to care.)
To Support HB 2222 and SB 1169
. HB 2222 / SB 1169 insures that medications to treat HIV/AIDS will
continue to be available to HIV+ inmates in local & regional jails.
I wrote extensively on this back in grad school, and my paper went to the NY State Assembly. Better treatment is more cost effective-it's cheaper to provide medication than it is to provide medical care. It also means that the virus is more controlled and harder to spread. Changing medication, or eliminating medication potentially allows more drug resistant, more powerful strains of HIV to be out and about and possibly infecting other people.
Support the .Carve Out. of HIV/AIDS Medicines from the pending Medicaid Preferred Drug List Program
. Conform the Budget Language in Item 325 to insure that Persons
Living with HIV/AIDS and enrolled in Medicaid do not have to lose or
change medications solely because of requirements of a Preferred Drug
List.
See above-similar ideas to the prison access stuff. Repeated changes in medication, especially if medication is still working allows the virus to become more able to resist medications. More drug resistant strains out there mean new infections that are harder to treat.
Oppose Budget Language that Limits Access to Health Care Services
. Budget language proposed by House Appropriations to Item 4-5.05
#1h would impact public health clinics, teaching hospitals, non-profit
health care services, all of which serve to save state costs by providing
early access to primary and preventive health care services . including
testing and treatment for HIV/AIDS.
The offending language reads, .No expenditures from general, special or
other nongeneral fund sources may be made out of any appropriation by the
General Assembly for services provided by any organization providing
abortion or abortion counseling services..
Whether or not you're pro or anti choice personally, a lot of organizations that provide abortion related services also provide testing and treatment for HIV. The more you limit access to testing and treatment the more risk you allow out in the community. This isn't really about pro or anti-choice. This is about protecting communities and lowering risk.
Support State Funding for HIV/AIDS Prevention, Testing and Treatment
. State General Fund dollars, used in conjunction with local, federal, and private funding, insures that prevention, testing, and
treatment services are available to any Virginian looking for this
critical care. VORA asks that Virginia.s General Fund contribution toward
these services be maintained throughout these austere budget days, to meet
needs today & prevent a more costly future.
Just like everyone else, AIDS Service Organizations accross the state are losing money due to budget cuts. Preserve as much funding as possible to promote testing and treatment and education at the local and regional levels, and this will help reduce the new infection rate. As a NoVaN-(northern virginia resident for those of you not aware) I'm concerned. DC has an infection rate 12% higher than the national average. And considering how much we cross the border sometimes, to go out, to date, to have fun and so on, we're all affected. Speak up tomorrow, make a call or two. I'll be in Richmond trying to kick some butt.
Check http://www.VORAonline.org for more information