Open Letter From Minority AIDS Council

For Your Information: Rep. Maxine Waters is circulating the letter below among her colleagues in the House of Representatives. The letter asks the Appropriations Committee to provide an appropriation of $610 million for the Minority AIDS Initiative in fiscal year 2011. Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Madeleine Bordallo, Donna Christensen, Lucille Roybal-Allard, and Bill Pascrell are circulating the letter along with Rep. Maxine Waters. Other Members of Congress have until March 11^th to sign.

List of Signers 3/1/10: Representative Maxine Waters, Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Representative Madeleine Bordallo, Representative Donna Christensen, Representative Lucille Roybal-Allard, Representative Bill Pascrell, Representative Robert A. Brady, Representative Clarke, Representative Delahunt, Representative Ellison, Representative Grijalva, Representative Gutiérrez, Representative Hank Johnson, Representative McDermott, Representative Gregory Meeks, Representative Gwen Moore, Representative Nadler, Representative Norton, Representative Rangel, Representative Richardson, Representative Bobby Scott, Representative Towns, Representative Waxman, and Representative Wu.

SIGN ON LETTER

The Honorable David Obey
Chairman
Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations
2358 Rayburn Building

The Honorable Todd Tiahrt
Ranking Member
Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations
1016 Longworth Building

Dear Honorable Obey and Honorable Tiahrt: 

We write to request that you provide an appropriation of $610 million for the Minority AIDS Initiative in the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2011. We also request that you state clearly the amounts designated for each agency in this initiative, either in the bill itself or the accompanying report language.

Racial and ethnic minorities are severely and disproportionately impacted by the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), African Americans accounted for 51% of HIV/AIDS diagnoses in 2007, although only 12% of the population is black. Hispanics accounted for 18% of HIV/AIDS diagnoses, although only 15% of the population is Hispanic. Asian Americans accounted for 1% of HIV/AIDS diagnoses, and American Indians/Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders each accounted for up to 1%. Combined, minorities represented more than 70% of HIV/AIDS diagnoses in 2007.

These statistics demonstrate the tremendous importance of the Minority AIDS Initiative.  This critical initiative provides funds to community based organizations and health care providers to help them address the HIV/AIDS epidemic within the minority populations they serve. The Minority AIDS Initiative is designed to enable organizations and providers in minority communities to improve their capacity to deliver culturally and linguistically appropriate care and services. Thus, it fills gaps in prevention, testing, treatment, surveillance, infrastructure, outreach and education across communities of color.

We urge you to provide $610 million for the Minority AIDS Initiative in fiscal year 2011. We thank you for your attention to our concerns, and we look forward to working with you to expand programs for the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS in minority communities throughout the United States.

Sincerely,
[Your Signature Here]
 
About NMAC
The National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC) has advanced its mission, “to develop leadership within communities of color to address the challenges of HIV/AIDS” since 1987 through individualized capacity building assistance; technical assistance trainings; public policy education programs; national and regional conferences; treatment and research education programs; online and printed resource materials; and a website: www.nmac.org. The agency also serves as a membership association for its constituent AIDS service organizations and minority faith- and community-based organizations delivering HIV/AIDS services in communities of color and advocates on their behalf in Washington, D.C. NMAC's advocacy efforts are funded through private funders and donors only.

For more information, please contact NMAC directly at (202) 483-NMAC (6622) ext. 309 or communications@nmac.org.