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WASHINGTON-- Jeanne
White, national spokesperson for the Ryan White Project at AIDS
Action, today urged members of Congress to pass a bill to
reauthorize the Ryan White CARE Act, the Federal government’s
response to the HIV/AIDS crisis in America. White testified before the
House Commerce Subcommittee on Health and Environment. White, whose son Ryan
captured the hearts of a nation with his battle against AIDS in the
1980’s, told the assembled members of Congress that she was proud a
program named after her son had benefited hundreds of thousands of
men, women, children and families living with HIV and AIDS. “The CARE Act makes real
Ryan’s dream of compassion for people living with this disease.
It provides care,
drugs, and services to those who face the same struggle as my late
son,” White said. White noted that in her
travels across the United
States promoting compassion and health care for people with HIV and
AIDS, and in her work advocating for strong prevention programs, she
has seen a changing face of AIDS. “AIDS is
the leading cause of death among African Americans between the ages
of 25-44 and the second leading cause of death among Latinos in the
same age group,” White said.
“The numbers are
overwhelming but the faces are real. When I see these faces I am
reminded that I am a mother. A mother who lost her son to AIDS. So many sons and daughters
have died.” Ryan White CARE Act programs
provide a safety net of care for low-income Americans affected by
HIV and AIDS. A recent
GAO study found that CARE Act programs benefited those communities
hit hardest by the epidemic, and provided much-needed outpatient
health care that prevented more costly inpatient care later on. The Ryan White CARE Act funds
community-based organizations that can be most effective in
providing the unique care and social services required of those with
HIV and AIDS. For more
information about the Ryan White CARE Act, go to http://www.aidsaction.org/,
and click on “Ryan.” |