Groups Urge White House Action on Syringe Exchange
November 20, 2009
Melody Barnes, Esq.
Director
Domestic Policy Council
Executive Office of the President
Tina Tchen
Director
Office of Public Engagement
Executive Office of the President
Brian K. Bond
Deputy Director
Office of Public Engagement
Executive Office of the President
Dear Ms. Barnes, Ms. Tchen, and Mr. Bond:
As participants of the February 18th meeting on federal HIV/AIDS policy, we are deeply appreciative of your early outreach to us as partners in the fight against HIV/AIDS. We thank you for inviting us to maintain open communication on issues of national import. In that spirit, we are bringing to your attention today just such an issue.
Without immediate White House action, congressional negotiations between the House and Senate may fail to adopt the Obama Administration’s position to allow federal funding for proven-effective syringe-exchange services in order to curb HIV and viral hepatitis infections. Moreover, the District of Columbia, where HIV prevalence rates rival those in Sub-Saharan Africa, could face a significant set-back in its efforts to control HIV/AIDS in our nation’s capital. Just last year, Washington, DC secured the legal authority in legislation signed by President George W. Bush to dedicate municipal taxpayer dollars for syringe-exchange services as part of a comprehensive response to the epidemic. It would be a travesty, and an embarrassment for President Obama, if the District of Columbia were to again be restricted by law from responding to the health needs of its residents.
Coalition issues letter to President Obama: Remove ban on syringe exchange funding
As Congress continues to consider legislation to remove the federal ban on syringe exchange funding, the Coalition for a National AIDS Strategy called on President Obama to take a leadership role, pushing Congress to send him a bill this year.
The letter was delivered to the President on October 9, 2009. The full text is below:
Dear Mr. President,
Thank you for your commitment to developing and implementing a National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS) for the United States. We are among the 500 organizations and 2,400 individuals who signed the Call to Action for a NHAS and who, for the past several years, have been advocating for a more coordinated, accountable and outcomes-oriented approach to HIV/AIDS in the United States through a NHAS.
As organizations and individuals committed to an evidence-based, effective HIV prevention effort, we also understand the urgency of removing the ban on federal funds for syringe exchange programs (SEPs). As you know, numerous federally funded studies have found that SEPs reduce HIV and hepatitis C incidence without increasing drug use or crime. Yet lack of resources makes it impossible for SEPs around the country to meet communities’ needs for the essential prevention, treatment and other services these programs provide. The challenge is particularly acute as states across the country grapple with fiscal shortfalls by reducing state funding for vital HIV/AIDS prevention programming, including SEPs.
Earlier this year, you reaffirmed your support for removing the ban on federal funding for SEPs and indicated you want to eliminate the ban as part of the NHAS process. We are writing to let you know that efforts to remove the SEPs ban cannot wait until completion of your Administration’s NHAS.
(Click below to read the rest.)