Obama Admin Issues Aggressive Plans to Combat HIV in U.S.

Today, on World AIDS Day, as The AIDS Institute remembers the 34 million people who have died of AIDS, the Obama Administration released an ambitious plan to implement its updated National HIV/AIDS Strategy that demonstrates our federal government's commitment to create an AIDS-free generation.

"President Obama and his Administration recognize that HIV remains a serious public health issue that must end not only here in the U.S. but around the world," commented Michael Ruppal, Executive Director of The AIDS Institute. "Together with the updated National HIV/AIDS Strategy through 2020 and now with its accompanying Federal Action Plan, our federal government is demonstrating a coordinated and comprehensive effort to reduce the number of new infections and provide care and treatment to people living with HIV in the U.S."

There are over 1.2 million people living with HIV and an estimated 50,000 new infections each year in the United States.

"We must not become complacent, as this year's World AIDS Day theme reminds us, The Time to Act Is Now," added Carl Schmid, Deputy Executive Director, The AIDS Institute. "That does not mean that just the executive offices of federal government must act, but the entire federal government, including the U.S. Congress, along with state and local governments, and the private and nonprofit sectors; we all need to act now."

The Federal Action Plan released today details steps that individual federal agencies will take, on their own or together with other agencies, to implement the updated Strategy and its goals.

They include widespread testing and linkage to care; broad support for people living with HIV to remain engaged in comprehensive care; universal viral suppression among people living with HIV; and full access to comprehensive pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) services for those for whom it is appropriate.

"We are pleased that all parts of the federal government have an assigned role to play in implementing the Strategy. Given the increased number of new infections among young people, we congratulate the Administration on its focus on sexual health education and the important role of the Department of Education, along with the CDC and other agencies, in the area of HIV education," added Ruppal. "It is an area that has often been ignored and we are seeing the consequences of this omission."

"The White House has crafted an exceptional National Strategy and now, a Federal Action Plan to address HIV in the U.S.," concluded Ruppal. "Now it is Time for all of us to Act."

The AIDS Institute is a national nonprofit organization that promotes action for social change through public policy research, advocacy and education.

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