NEW YORK—America must develop a comprehensive national strategy to make measurable progress in the fight against AIDS, the Open Society Institute said in a report issued today.
The United States spends over $16 billion a year on HIV/AIDS, but has failed to make adequate progress on the epidemic. The number of annual new HIV infections has remained at 40,000 for over a decade and half of people in need of treatment are not receiving it. African Americans suffer most for this failure—accounting for half of all new infections though they represent 12 percent of the U.S. population.
"Black Americans are dying, even though we know how to help people live longer, productive lives," said Phill Wilson, Executive Director of the Black AIDS Institute and a member of the advisory committee for the OSI report. "Only the federal government is in the position to coordinate a truly national response that draws on the experiences of the private sector, faith-based institutions, community-based organizations, civil rights groups, government, and others. We've done this in other countries. Let's do it here at home."
Black Americans with AIDS have not seen equal benefits from AIDS treatment: from 2000 to 2004, deaths among whites living with HIV declined 19 percent while only 7 percent among blacks. The report argues that a national plan is long overdue to guide a more effective use of federal funding.
The study, Improving Outcomes: Blueprint for a National AIDS Plan for the United States, offers several recommendations for progress against the disease, including a renewed focus on the prevention and treatment needs of African Americans. It also recommends trying new innovative approaches to address persistent structural barriers; focusing federal resources on concrete outcomes; and increasing the use of evidence-based, cost effective strategies that have already proven successful.
"Twenty-five years into this epidemic, we are at a crossroads in our battle against HIV/AIDS," said Rebecca Haag, Executive Director of AIDS Action. "We need to adapt and encourage innovation in prevention programs so that they serve the hardest hit communities. The national plan would hold our leaders accountable for delivering measurable results in reducing new infections."
"America's response to its AIDS epidemic at home has lost momentum," said Chris Collins, author of the OSI report. "The U.S. needs to develop what it asks of other nations combating AIDS: an outcomes-oriented strategy that holds us all accountable for helping people protect themselves against HIV infection and delivering health care to people who need it."