FIGHT FOR FUNDING: AIDS CUTS KILL!
Youth activists sound the alarm on the impact of proposed budget cuts
Outreach Leader Devin Escobar passing out fliers in the Castro.
SAN FRANSISCO, CA (June 26, 2009) – The Campaign to End AIDS Youth Action Institute in conjunction with the Iris Center, are hosting a public informational demonstration today, June 26th at the Plaza located in Castro District. The purpose of the event is designed to speak out against proposed budget cuts scheduled to eliminate crucial HIV prevention and services for San Francisco and Bay area residents. At this event, young HIV & AIDS activists from across the country and around the world will educate the community and disperse pamphlets outlining the impact of the cuts and ways to contact local key decision makers in the allocation process.
These cuts will impact important services such as case management, housing services, and medication assistance for those living with HIV in the Bay area community. Additionally, these cuts will impact an array of essential programs such as mental health counseling, drug and alcohol recovery, child care and counseling services of those who are HIV negative or positive.
Specifically, the Iris Center (www.iriscenter.org) provides essential resources to women of color who would immensely be afflicted if these proposed cuts would occur. These vital, low costs health care programs would be drastically limited leaving few alternatives for these underserved individuals. The proposed cuts will disproportionately affect women of color and the target population relying on these resources and services.
About IRIS Center
Founded in 1977, the mission of the IRIS Center is to provide high-quality prevention, education, and behavioral health services to uninsured/underinsured women and their families living in underserved communities. The Center reaches more than 7,000 high-risk women each year through its various prevention and treatment programs. The IRIS Center is the only provider of its kind for women of color in San Francisco. For more information about the IRIS Center visit www.iriscenter.org.
About The Campaign To End AIDS
The Campaign to End AIDS (C2EA) is a diverse, exciting coalition of people demanding that our leaders exert the political will to stop the epidemic, in the U.S. and abroad, once and for all. The Youth Action Institute (YAI) is a youth subset whos purpose is to educate and eradicate the pandemic amongst the youth population. For more information about the C2EA, please call 1-877-END-AIDS (363-2437).
California HIV/AIDS Statistics
- In 2006 the reporting system changed from non-name coding to name reporting. Based on this new system, there have been a total of 36,412 reported cases of HIV.*
- In Alameda County there have been a total of 1,062 cases of HIV and 7,587 cases of AIDS.
- In Berkeley alone there have been 46 cases of HIV and 630 reports of AIDS.*
- In San Francisco there have been 5,215 cases of HIV and 28,179 cases of AIDS since reporting began.*
- San Francisco County ranks second in CA for the number of HIV cases with 5,215 and for the number of AIDS cases with 28,179.*
*Source California Office of AIDS April 2009 Monthly HIV/AIDS Statistics Report.



