An administrative oversight in the Newark Department of Child and Family Well-Being nearly resulted in a loss of $11.9 million in federal funding for HIV/AIDS programs, The Star-Ledger/NJ.com reports (nj.com, 6/24). Officials in the New Jersey department attribute the slipup to a failure to process grant applications sufficiently in advance of the deadline.
According to the article, the city had 120 days to process grants and get them approved and distributed to various AIDS service organizations (ASOs) in the region. Because grant applications were filed just prior to the deadline, many ASOs will receive funding later than expected.
“We dropped the ball,” said Maria Vizcarrondo, director of the department. However, Vizcarrondo told The Star-Ledger that agencies should be receiving their money by August.
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Beth Benne, RN, is HIV negative, but
the virus has impacted her life. She currently supervises a biannual HIV/AIDS awareness week as
the director of the student health center at Pierce College, a
community commuter school in Woodland Hills, California.
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Overheard in the Women's Forum
"I recently met a guy who is negative. I did tell him about my status and he decided to kiss me anyway (we didn't go further than that). But a day later, he called and said that he actually had a mouth ulcer that time when we kissed and he was very worried. Asked if he can get the virus from me that way. For that moment, I felt so insulted and yet I felt so bad. It was my first time having a contact with a "negative" guy."
