Tampa Bay Coalition
Posts this Media Release in Support and on Behalf of;

FLORIDA AIDS ACTION
Tampa Administrative Office: 813-232-5886
Miami: 305-891-3666
Tallahassee: 850-656-7760, ext. 300
Washington, DC: 202-299-9430

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACT: Mary Ann T. Green (813) 974-4892/ mgreen@floridaidsaction.org

Tampa, FL - Florida AIDS Action (FLAA), the only statewide nonprofit AIDS organization in Florida, responded today to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), dated April 18, 2003, on expanded HIV prevention strategies with guarded optimism.

The CDC's recommendations, according to the MMWR report, include "the use of proven public health approaches to reducing the incidence and spread of disease" such as identification of new cases, routine screenings, as well as "increased availability of sustained treatment and prevention services for infected individuals."

FLAA's Executive Director, Dr. Gene Copello noted, "Many of us in the HIV/AIDS community have been waiting for some of these approaches to take shape on a federal level." He continued, "We support the concept of addressing AIDS as a public health disease because AIDS is a public health crisis and should be treated as such. Moreover, we're very supportive of the inclusion of rapid testing in this plan." Additionally, Copello noted, "Of course we have concerns over how these initiatives will be implemented and regret that the CDC did not consult the community while developing these strategies. We encourage the CDC to do so as these programs are implemented in our communities."

According to the MMWR, the CDC's initiative is comprised of four key components:
1. Make HIV testing a routine part of medical care - including HIV testing as part of routine medical exams on a voluntary basis as is done with other diagnostic tests. Previous recommendations focused on high prevalence areas for testing. The new approach extends testing beyond these areas to incorporate all healthcare settings.
2. Implement new models for diagnosing HIV infections outside medical settings - utilizing the recently approved rapid HIV test to "increase access to early diagnosis and referral for treatment …"
3. Prevent new infections by working with persons diagnosed with HIV and their partners - expand the HIV prevention focus and incorporate a set of "standardized procedures for prevention interventions and evaluation activities" for CDC funded programs.
4. Further decrease perinatal transmission - according the report, the CDC "will promote recommendations for routine HIV testing of all pregnant women, and as a safety net, for the routine screening of any infant whose mother was not screened." The agency "will work with prevention partners… to disseminate the recommendations and support their implementation."

"In concept, some aspects of these proposals look promising," noted FLAA Assistant Executive Director Michael Ruppal. "However, there are shortcomings with the initiative. For example, needle exchange was not addressed as an effective form of prevention despite research proving its success." He continued, "Additionally, no provisions were given for community input into how best to implement this plan. It will be vital for community-based AIDS organizations to work hand-in-hand with their Departments of Health to ensure this plan is implemented in a manner that truly benefits communities. Changes to recommendations for HIV testing and counseling must be implemented in ways that respect rights and dignity of consumers."

With more than 294,000 HIV tests conducted in Florida alone during 2002, the entire plan begs one question for many AIDS advocates, "Once we diagnosis all these folks - how do we care for them in a system that is already at the brink," asked Copello. He added, "The question of funding HIV/AIDS treatment and care at adequate levels must be addressed in order for this plan to succeed. We encourage the federal government to address the issues around treatment and funding immediately."

To learn more about Florida AIDS Action, and for more information on how to become involved in AIDS advocacy work, please contact Florida AIDS Action by phone at: (800) 779-4898 or by email at: information@floridaaidsaction.org .

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Florida AIDS Action, the only statewide nonprofit HIV/AIDS agency in Florida, promotes social change through community planning, education, public policy research and advocacy. For more information, call (813) 232-5886, or visit on the web at www.floridaaidsaction.org .