Thousands lose AIDS/HIV treatment with more to come

(PALM SPRINGS, CA – July 7, 2010)

Just over a week after National HIV Testing Day, people diagnosed with HIV and AIDS are being told they may have to wait indefinitely for help.

Although current research supports starting treatment earlier for HIV-positive people, states are cutting down on access to these crucial treatments and creating waiting lists. As of July 1, over 2,000 people in 12 states are on waiting lists for ADAP – the AIDS Drug Assistance Program that provides life-saving medications to people living with HIV or AIDS.

These figures represent a more than 370% increase since February of this year, highlighting a huge misstep in the fight against HIV and AIDS across the nation. In addition to waiting lists, the current numbers don’t include the thousands of people who are affected by lowered eligibility rules and decreases in the number of ADAP-covered medications. While many of us are beginning to reap the benefits of health care reform, people with HIV and AIDS may not see such relief until 2014, when most of the health care provisions come into effect. This means that it might be years until someone with HIV or AIDS receives vital treatment, depending on his or her state residency.

Across the nation

In Florida, where over 50,000 people are living with the virus, ADAP experienced an average enrollment of 300 patients per month before the creation of a waiting list, which currently has 523 individuals. On August 1, Florida will also cut access to almost half of the drugs on its ADAP list of medications.

Louisiana has capped ADAP enrollment without implementing a waiting list, resulting in an unmet need currently at 112 individuals – a number that is expected to continue rising. In Ohio, about 1,000 people will stop receiving help for HIV and AIDS drugs due to stricter income eligibility criteria.

A handful of other states are looking at cost-containment measures to ADAP that could go into effect at any time, as more people are added to waiting lists every month.

Hope in the desert?

These dismal conditions mean doctors and patients are looking for immediate solutions, including possible relocation. Organizations like Desert AIDS Project that continue to persevere, despite the tough economic times, are increasingly attractive to those who have no other hope.

By providing a “one-stop” holistic experience for its clients, Desert AIDS Project can transform the quality-of-life for a person living with HIV or AIDS. However, Desert AIDS Project requires a 90-day residency before being able to provide services to potential clients, so those individuals from other states must still wait. Still, the residency requirement does not compare to waiting lists with indefinite times and Desert AIDS Project is bracing itself to meet the demand.

“California’s fiscal crisis is only a part of the concern that is becoming a ‘perfect storm’ for our state’s ADAP. On that same side of this storm are minimal increases in Federal appropriations for ADAP and increased demand for the program, due to unemployment. Battering ADAP from the other side of the storm are revised HIV treatment guidelines and expanded testing initiatives,” said David Brinkman, CEO of Desert AIDS Project. “Ironically, the program most needs to continue because the medications that ADAP helps to provide have begun to bring about significant health improvements for so many. To remove ADAP now could, literally, be a life-or-death proposition for thousands of Californians and others nationwide.”

Desert AIDS Project is the organization in our community where people living with HIV and AIDS can receive comprehensive support, including medical care, case management, and social services. D.A.P. also offers free and confidential HIV testing at a number of locations throughout the communities it serves.