ACTION ALERT: HIV Travel Ban Repeal

Great news!

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are proposing the removal of HIV infection from the list of diseases that can keep people who are not U.S. citizens from entering the United States.

On Thursday, July 2nd, HHS and the CDC published a notice in the Federal Register that it intends to repeal the HIV travel and immigration ban.

The public now has until August 17th to submit comments and voice support for the proposed change in regulations.

Please take a few minutes to voice your support for the ending of this needless discrimination against people living with HIV!

Click HERE to take action today!

The CDC is welcoming public support for the removal of this ban, and HIV/AIDS advocates around the country are making their voices heard. Stand up and be counted among them!

Brought to you by Lifelong AIDS Alliance's Communities in Action Network

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ACTION ALERT: Support Nurtition and the Ryan White CARE Act!

Last month in Atlanta, hundreds of AIDS and nutrition advocates joined ANSA (Association of Nutrition Services Agencies) in showing their support for the power of medically appropriate food and nutrition services for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in the soon-to-be extended Ryan White program.

Hundreds of advocates from around the country have already signed on to the letter below to be sent to their US Senators and Members of Congress.

Will you join them?

Place your name amongst those who support ANSA's position for inclusion of medically appropriate food and nutrition services as a permissible core medical service!

Click HERE to view this action alert!

But don't stop there!

Please forward this to 4 of your friends and urge them to do the same. We already have incredible support from across the country, but we want everyone in Congress to know how imperative having access to food and nutrition is for PLWHA.

Thank you for all you to do ensure our vulnerable neighbors across the country have access to food, treatment and comfort!

Brought to you by Lifelong AIDS Alliance's Communities in Action Network

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ACTION ALERT for King Co. Residents!

Good news! We have an option for progress on dedicated funds for human services in King County, but we must act quickly and decisively to urge electeds to implement it!

The King County Council's Law, Justice, Health, and Human Services Committee met Tuesday afternoon to consider options for continued County funding of human services beyond 2009. One of these options would dedicate a specific portion of the general fund to human services on an ongoing basis.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is currently projecting a $46 million general fund deficit in 2010. That figure is expected to increase as revenues to the general fund decrease. 2010 budget instructions from OMB issued in March directed a preliminary general fund reduction of 10.83% across all County departments and agencies. OMB also indicated that services mandated by State law will be prioritized over services that are not mandated and that items in the "lifeboat" which were funded for six months are to be eliminated in 2010. Consequently, 2010 will bring another year of reductions to the County's general fund contribution to human services.

The County cut nearly 35% of its general fund out of human services in 2009, which equated to a greater than $6 million reduction from 2008. The 2009 general fund contribution to human services equaled $11, 409,380, whereas the projected 2010 general fund contribution to human services totals merely $7,007,045.

While this is just a preliminary estimate intended to show the range of potential general fund reductions to human services, we must speak up NOW to help fight against these cuts.

The King County Alliance for Human Services supports dedicating 2-4% of the county's general fund annually to human services. In 2009, with a General Fund budget of $630 million, this would have resulted in $12.6 million to $25.2 million for urgently needed human services.

We have a window of opportunity now to show massive support for this plan, and potentially also impact Council action on the human services funding in the "lifeboat" for the second half of 2009. (They won't vote to fund those services for 6 more months of 2009 if they will just have to cut them in 2010. This strategy of dedicating funds to human services would provide the funds to continue the services in 2010.)

The Council will vote on Tuesday morning next week about the lifeboat funding, so we must get a tsunami of support for dedicated funds to human services into their offices this week.

Call your King County Councilmember TODAY!

Call the Councilmember representing your district and each Councilmember who has any constituents using your services!

Don't know which Councilmember to call? Click HERE to find out!

King County Councilmembers
Bob Ferguson District 1 296-1001
Larry Gossett District 2 296-1002
Kathy Lambert District 3 296-1003
Larry Phillips District 4 296-1004
Julia Patterson District 5 296-1005
Jane Hague District 6 296-1006
Pete von Reichbauer District 7 296-1007
Dow Constantine District 8 296-1008
Reagan Dunn District 9 296-1009

Phone Call Talking Points:
-King County is known across the country as a leader and an innovator. Leadership and innovation is exactly what is called for now. '

-King County has created clear policies stating that, "King County will seek to build and sustain a coordinated regional human services system to provide services, supports, safety and opportunity to those most in need."

-For this reason I would like to urge Councilmember __________ to take action to align the County's general fund support with your policy decisions by setting aside 2-4% of the general fund on an ongoing basis for a base level of human services annually.

This is a window of opportunity that will not reappear. ACT NOW!

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May 30th March for Health Care

"Health care reform cannot wait, it must not wait, and it will not wait another year."

-President Barack Obama

NOW is the time for health care reform. Tens of thousands of people die every year in this country because of a lack of health coverage. Countless others struggle under crushing medical debt or suffer through treatable illnesses.

Health care reform won't happen without a grassroots movement.

On May 30th in Seattle, we will answer President Obama's call and send a strong message to everyone in the nation that Washington State is united in the fight for health care reform for ALL in 2009.

And we need you!

Plan to join us on Saturday May 30 at 12:30 in Pratt Park for an action packed afternoon filled with music, speakers and most importantly, the message that health care for all can not wait.

Major marches and rallies have influenced policy makers throughout the history of our country, and now is the time to demonstrate the will of the people and raise the demand for quality, affordable health care for all.

Click HERE for more information on this event. Hope to see you there!

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ACTION ALERT!

Speak Out Against the Syringe Funding Ban!

Last week, President Obama released his Fiscal Year 2010 budget request. Unfortunately, his budget still includes the language that bans the use of federal funding for syringe exchange programs, despite their proven effectiveness in preventing new HIV and hepatitis C infections.

In response, the Community AIDS and Hepatitis Prevention Act of 2009 (HR 179), has been re-introduced in Congress.

This act would eliminate all laws which prevent federal funding from being used by state and local jurisdictions for syringe exchange.

This is a critical time - if we speak up NOW, we can still lift the ban this year!

Urge your US Representative to Co-Sponsor HR 179, the Community AIDS and Hepatitis Prevention Act of 2009!

Click HERE to take action on this issue

What's At Stake?

Each year, approximately 12,000 Americans contract HIV/AIDS and approximately 19,000 Americans contract the hepatitis C virus directly or indirectly from sharing contaminated syringes.

Making clean, sterile syringes available is a simple, cost-effective method of saving lives and providing care to hard-to-reach populations.

But since 1988, there has been a Congressional ban on the use of federal funds for Syringe Exchange Programs nationwide. Last year, Congress lifted the ban that forbid Washington D. C. from using its local tax dollars to support syringe exchange in the city itself.

Now we need the ban lifted on federal funding for the whole nation!

To see the full text of HR 179, please click here.

This action alert brought to you by Lifelong's Communities in Action Network.

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Help make White House Conference on Food and Nutrition a reality!

ANSA is thrilled to announce that Representatives James McGovern and Jo Ann Emerson have recently re-introduced legislation calling for a White House Conference on Food and Nutrition to be held by December 31, 2010.

We have long-advocated for such a conference to address how the United States will meet the nutritional needs of the more than 36 million Americans who experience food insecurity – including more than 5 million seniors and critically ill men, women and children.

We need your help to build support for the White House Conference!

Please make a call to urge your Representative to sign on as a co-sponsor of H.R. 1869, a bill requiring a White House Conference on Food and Nutrition, to be held by December 31, 2010. Please call the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask for your Representative’s office. (Click here to find out who your Representative is.)

Please let us know when you’ve placed your calls so we can follow up and ensure strong support for this legislation. Email Mat Gulick if you have any questions about ANSA, our advocacy work or a proposed White House Conference on Food and Nutrition.

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Action Alert: Urge your legislators to support the House Proposed Budget for HIV/AIDS!

The Washington State House and Senate just came out with their proposed budgets last week, and it is imperative that we make our voices heard immediately and give input to our legislators as they begin to discuss these proposals.

Email your state Senator and Representatives today to urge them to support the House Proposed Budget for HIV/AIDS!

Click HERE to participate in this advocacy campaign!

What's At Stake?

While both the Senate and the House have proposed major cuts to HIV/AIDS services in Washington State, the cuts the HIV/AIDS community will face in the House budget will be less drastic to direct client services.

Senate Budget HIV/AIDS Proposals
Cap HIV Early Intervention Program (EIP) at 95% of current expenditures
--> $3 million cut
Reduce AIDSNet Grants by 20%
--> $3 million cut

House Budget HIV/AIDS Proposals
Cap HIV Early Intervention Program (EIP) at 98% of current expenditures
--> $1 million cut
Reduce AIDSNet Grants
--> $1.1 million cut in administrative costs
--> Responsibility for AIDSNets to be assumed by Department of Health

In the House budget, the cap on EIP is less and the cut to the AIDSNets is to the administrative costs not to the services provided. We are cautious about the Department of Health taking on the responsibility of the AIDSNets but will do our best to work with the Department to make the transition go smoothly.

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