Washington State's Budget Crisis means disaster for AIDS Prevention and treatment
Everywhere one turns these days there is crisis, financial troubles, friends and neighbors having
lost their jobs or living under the threat of job loss. As an HIV doctor working daily with groups at the greatest risk of contracting or living with this chronic deadly illness these financial woes seem especially frightening.I have seen some of the proposed budget cuts that are being tendered to AIDS services, insurance programs and prevention efforts that will turn Washington from being a proactive state working on prevention and making sure no one lives without care and access to health care to a state where there are waiting lists, loss of support and access to adequate health care will be more difficult.
This also at a time when HIV infection rates continue unabated and more and more need is forecast for health care.
From my office on First Hill looking out at the landscape of what is pending, I feel a crisis brewing that could lead to more disease, more death, less access to health care and the loss of many of our valuable prevention efforts and support programs.
From Insurance expansion and access to medications; from efforts at peer education and preventative approaches; to feeding and housing the weakest among us, I would beg that budgets cuts for these vital programs be maintained at the very least current levels and not cut.
We are in a crisis that remains unabated. Help!!!
-Rob Killian, MD/MPH
Dr. Killian is a founding partner in Capitol Hill Medical, is double board certified as an HIV specialist and Primary care physician in Seattle, WA. You can read more from him on his blog at: http://adoctortravels.blogspot.com/
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