SF Supervisor Calls For Restoration Of HIV/AIDS Funding After Sequester
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)— San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener called for a restoration in cuts to critical health programs that identify and treat people with HIV and AIDS.
Advocates for HIV/AIDS programs are worried about how the sequester will effect their federal dollars. At a noon news conference on Monday, Wiener said from the steps of City Hall that thousands of people with HIV in California won't get lifesaving medications.
"We have a crisis on our hands. Many of our representatives, not all of them, but many of them in Washington don't seem to get it," Wiener said, adding that the city, the state and the nation will be hurt if Congress doesn't come up with a deficit reduction plan.
Courtney Mulhern-Pearson of the AIDS Foundation said fewer people will be tested and treated, which puts everyone at risk.
"These cuts will mean fewer people have chances to learn their HIV status, get the medical care that they need to stay healthy and avoid passing on the virus to others," she said.
SF Supervisor Calls For Restoration Of HIV/AIDS Funding After Sequester
Failure to reach consensus on spending and revenue means automatic federal cuts across the board, totaling $85 billion this year and $1.2 trillion in cuts over the next decade.
(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
