 ADAP–The
Power For Change
by Keith Green
It’s rare that members of the HIV
community and its activists have an opportunity, or a reason
for that matter, to pause from their work in the ongoing struggle
just to say thank you to their legislatures for progress made
and a job well done. With so many cuts in both state and federal
budgets in HIV/AIDS-related services, and a constant rise
in new infections across the board, we realize that even though
this virus has devastated our community for over 20 years
now, the reality of the matter is that we must continue to
fight, or die.
In Illinois, however, on March 31st, 2004,
members of the HIV community, led by the AIDS Foundation of
Chicago (AFC), gathered at the state capitol of Springfield
to show support and to say “thank you” to Governor
Rob Blagojevich for his proposed budget for fiscal year 2005.
This new budget includes a $1 million increase for HIV prevention
services in communities of color and a $3.1 million increase
for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP). In a time when
ADAPs across the country desperately lack critical funding,
and most states are seeing drastic cuts being made to their
budgets for HIV/AIDS services, Illinois is one of few that
recognizes and appears ready to act on the need for increases
in funding.
At the same time, however, the struggle
in Illinois continues. While at the state’s capitol,
lobbyists also spoke with State Senators and Representatives
concerning other important bills that are critical to the
lives of the 35,000 Illinoisans living with HIV/AIDS. These
bills include HB 4439, which will protect low-income renters
with public assistance from housing discrimination; HB 4622,
which will standardize the definition of “disability”
among all state agencies so that disabled people living with
HIV/AIDS can gain access to important public benefits including
Medicaid; HB 6563, which will help to ensure that children
of terminally ill parents will be raised by the guardians
of their choice; and HB 3857, which will allow HIV-positive
individuals to become organ donors, increasing access to life-saving
organ transplants for people living with HIV/AIDS. The fate
of these bills are yet to be determined, however, the presence
of hundreds of people with HIV at the state capitol is bound
to leave a lasting impression upon the hearts and minds of
legislators as they make their voting decisions.
Having been born and raised in Illinois,
I was one of those who lobbied at the state capitol, grateful
to be a resident and for my life. For a brief while, a couple
of years back, I was a resident of the state of North Carolina.
It was in that state that I received an AIDS diagnosis and
became extremely ill with no health insurance. I was taken
to a local emergency room with chronic diarrhea and severe
wasting, only to be turned away and given a phone number to
call so that I could make an appointment at a free clinic
that provided treatment for residents of the city of Charlotte
without health insurance.
I was instructed to call this number between
8 and 9 a.m. only, Monday through Friday, and pray that I
would reach someone. With only one phone number for everyone
in the city without health insurance to call at the same time
of day, you can imagine that a busy signal was all that I
received. If I did happen to get through, there were only
a certain number of appointments available to be given out
on any given day, and if those were already taken then I had
to try all over again the next day. When I was finally able
to get an appointment (which took almost two weeks using this
system), it was not scheduled for another 3 ½ weeks.
While waiting for the appointment, I was
instructed to apply for the ADAP program, which at that time
was bankrupt, so that once I received health care I would
at least be already on the waiting list to receive the medications
that would be prescribed. Needless to say, due to the seriousness
of my health situation, I could not wait through all of this.
I was forced to move back to my hometown, Chicago, and was
able to receive the care that I needed immediately, minus
the phone calls and the waiting lists. It is believed by many,
my physicians included, that had I stayed in Charlotte, North
Carolina much longer, I probably would not have lived to share
this horrifying experience.
North Carolina is not the only state that
operates in this manner. Several states within the U.S. do
not provide adequate, timely health care to those in need
who, for whatever reason, are without health insurance. The
power for change, however, lies in the voice of the constituents
of those states and in the votes that they cast. Lawmakers
are selected by the people. Just as the HIV community in Illinois
has lobbied for years so that all can have equal access to
health care, residents of those states must unite and do the
same. The lives of millions who are infected with HIV and
other health care issues desperately depend on it.
Keith R. Green (27), Distribution Coordinator
at Test Positive Aware Network, is a young poet, student,
activist and lover who is dedicated to making a difference
in his world. A sharp thinker with a positive attitude, Keith
willingly shares his knowledge and talent with all.
|
