HIV/AIDS programs in San Francisco may be spared an additional $3 million in funding cuts following local and state budget changes, the San Francisco Chronicle reports (sfgate.com, 5/28).
Hoping to help the city tackle a projected $338 million deficit, San Francisco public health chief Dr. Mitch Katz recently proposed eliminating services for people with HIV/AIDS that the city does not provide to “anyone else with chronic diseases,” including food deliveries, legal services, acupuncture, massage, herbal therapy and support groups.
Mayor Gavin Newsom, however, has rejected Katz’s proposal, saying he “couldn’t in good conscience justify” cutting AIDS-related services.
Still, community programs that receive public health funding, including AIDS nonprofits, are facing a 22 percent cut in the mayor’s budget.
According to the Chronicle, 800 to 1,000 people are diagnosed with HIV or AIDS in San Francisco every year.
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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."
