In 1987, a group of concerned citizens used the political process to publicize the fact that AIDS patients were dying on the streets of Los Angeles. The result of their efforts was AIDS Healthcare Foundation.
Advocacy is firmly entrenched in our efforts to eradicate AIDS worldwide. From sponsoring legislation, employing litigation and organizing grassroots campaigns, we advocate in the name of quality health care believing we can only provide truly excellent care if our voice is heard.
Preservation of Florida’s HIV/AIDS Medicaid Disease Management Program
In a major victory for people living with HIV/AIDS in Florida, AHF succeeded in stopping Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) from awarding the state’s Medicaid disease management contract to a for-profit company with little, current experience caring for AIDS patients. AHF pioneered Florida’s disease management program saving Florida’s Medicaid program over $25 million and improving the health of thousands of people living with HIV/AIDS.
AHF initiated an intensive advocacy campaign, and was joined by the community and other AIDS groups in protests and rallies throughout the state. In September of 2007, a judge ruled that AHCA had not adequately considered the financial status of the for-profit company when it decided to award it the contract and recommended that the contract be re-bid. AHF’s contract has been extended through the re-bid process, allowing us to continue to provide the highest quality medical care and advocacy for the 8,000 Floridians living with HIV/AIDS.
Campaign Against Pfizer’s Reckless Viagra Advertising
In December of 2005, AHF launched a public education and advocacy campaign to raise awareness about Pfizer’s irresponsible marketing of Viagra, which it believes encourages recreational use of the drug, fueling the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV. AHF’s most recent campaign, “Viagra + Meth = Rx for HIV Infection,” succeeded in generating widespread international media coverage and significant public awareness. AHF continues to be outspoken regarding the potential harm caused by Pfizer’s reckless marketing tactics and continues to monitor the company’s advertising of the drug.
Stop Direct-to-Consumer Drug Advertising
AHF has long campaigned against Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) advertising of pharmaceuticals, strongly believing that healthcare decisions are best made by patients in consultation with their doctors without interference by drug companies. AHF launched a campaign against DTC advertising of HIV/AIDS drugs—advertising that often minimizes the realities of living with HIV. This multi-pronged campaign included an online letter-writing initiative in which AHF’s community of online advocates sent letters to members of Congress, urging them to press for legislation to end irresponsible Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) Advertising of prescription HIV/AIDS medications. The voices of HIV/AIDS advocates were heard in the halls of Congress and will continue to be heard, as AHF and its supporters lead the call to stop harmful DTC drug advertising.
AB 1677 (Koretz) Condoms in Prison
Status: Vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger on 9/29/06
This bill if signed into law would allow for the distribution of condoms in the state correctional facilities as a preventive measure to halt the transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Sponsored by Southern California HIV/AIDS Coalition (SCHAC), AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA) and AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) this bill has been threatened with a veto by Gov. Schwarzenegger. Letters and calls of support for him to do the rational and right thing and sign this bill are urgently needed.
AB 682 - Routine Testing
AHF, the California Medical Association (CMA) and Health Officers Association of California (HOAC) sponsored AB 682 – Routine Testing that Governor Schwarzenegger signed into law on October 12th, 2007.
It removes the requirement of written informed consent for an HIV test in a public healthcare setting and places California well ahead of other states regarding the accessibility of HIV testing. By making simple consent the standard for the offering of a test, the law moves towards the recommendations of the CDC to implement HIV screening of the general population.
AB 1334 – Inmate & Community Public Health and Safety Act
The intent of Assembly Bill 1334 in 2007, was to address the significantly high rates of HIV infection in California correctional facilities and the increased risk for HIV transmission between prisoners while incarcerated and their spouses/partners upon release back to their communities. If enacted into law, it would have allowed non-profit or public health care agencies to distribute sexual barrier devices such as condoms and dental dams in state prisons to prevent the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. The bill passed the State Legislature with the vote divided along partisan lines. The governor vetoed a similar bill in 2006 and had stated that his refusal to sign was because sexual activity in prisons is illegal and he had safety concerns regarding how condoms could be used as weapons or to smuggle drugs. We believe his veto message from that year was short sighted and ignored statistics that beg for a rational approach to public health and safety. Condom distribution programs have been in place in state prisons in Vermont and Mississippi (for conjugal visits) and in city jails in Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and the District of Columbia. Most of the countries in the European Union have condom distribution as well and in none of those places where programs exist, have the anticipated problems sited by the governor in his veto, been a reality. In October 2007 the governor repeated his veto from the previous year. Although this time, recognizing the merit of such a program he included a veto message in which he described condom distribution as “not an unreasonable public policy" and instructed state corrections officials to assess the feasibility of a pilot program to be developed at one state correctional facility. The success of the pilot program might then be used to expand the program statewide. The pilot as now started at Solano State Prison.
AB 66 – Inmate Testing
AB 66 would have required HIV testing for all inmates upon entering prison (for a term of at least one year) within 30 to 60 days after entry unless the person declined the test and then again at least 60 days prior to expected discharge from the correctional facility (unless the inmate’s HIV positive status is already known to be positive).
The intent of AB 66 was to address the disproportionate rates of HIV infection among the incarcerated population. Latinos and African-Americans make up a disproportionate percentage of prisoners and by offering routine testing, individual care and treatment plans, as well as prevention and education programs to people in prison the state would have moved towards meeting its obligation to provide healthcare to the incarcerated and interrupt a major potential path of HIV transmission in the communities to which parolees are returned.
For a variety of reasons this proposal never made it out of the Senate Appropriations Committee. We look to next year for a revised version of a bill to address inmate testing.
