A path to end HIV — and we could throw it away

Since my diagnosis in 1989, I have dedicated my life to fighting HIV and helping communities affected by it.

At first glance, you might wonder why I’m an HIV activist. I’m a straight, cisgender, married woman, not what you typically think of as someone so passionate about fighting HIV. HIV probably wouldn’t even cross your mind the first time you meet me.

The truth is, I’ve been living with HIV for nearly 30 years. In fact, at one point, I was diagnosed with AIDS. I’m living proof that HIV/AIDS isn’t just a concern for certain people; it’s a concern for all of us.

Since the moment of my diagnosis back in 1989, I have dedicated my life to fighting HIV and helping the communities so heavily affected by it. Today, my full time job is to provide information on realistic and workable tools to fight HIV/ AIDS that can be used by providers, patients, and community advocates on a daily basis.

My work puts me in touch with some of the most marginalized and vulnerable communities. Thanks to poverty, discrimination, and stigma, many people are largely cut off from regular health care and it is incredibly challenging to get them into and keep them in care.

That’s why the proposed deep budget cuts for federal HIV services have me scared. I know that if it weren’t for federal programs like the Ryan White CARE Act, the Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS program, the Sexual Minority AIDS Assistance Fund, or Centers for Disease Control’s research and education funding, many of the people I work with would not be able to get the care they need to keep themselves healthy and alive and prevent others from becoming HIV-positive.

In recent years, medical advances and scientifically-proven approaches have given us the tools we need for an AIDS-free generation. We’ve seen dramatic drops in new infections in cities that were once epicenters of the epidemic.

In New York City, new HIV cases have dropped to their lowest level since the epidemic began in 1981.

San Francisco, which was ravaged by HIV/AIDS in the 1980s and 1990s, reported only 255 new HIV infections in 2016.

In Washington, DC, there were fewer than 350 new HIV infections in 2016, a 74 percent drop from a decade earlier.

For a long-term survivor and advocate like me, this is tremendous news. But this progress is not set in stone - and it could all be lost if the proposed budget cuts go through.

We could see many more new HIV infections each year, leading to billions of dollars in health care costs that could have been avoided.

We could see millions fewer HIV tests administered. That means we would not diagnose people who are HIV-positive early and get them into the care they need to save their lives and prevent others from becoming HIV-positive.

We could see devastating cuts to community HIV service organizations that could cripple or halt their ability to provide care to those communities most in need.

We cannot squander this incredible opportunity. We need to make sure that these proposed cuts never become reality.

HIV is an expensive disease to have - take it from someone who knows! To be successful, HIV care requires not just care from a doctor. Effective HIV care often requires mental health counseling, food and housing assistance, and substance abuse treatment; all of which cost money. Imagine trying to access this necessary care if you’re poor.

That’s why it’s so important to stay on the successful path we’ve been on recently. Taking our foot off the gas now will only lead to disaster down the road.

For the sake of me and my family, and all of the families out there living with, affected by, or at risk for HIV, I urge you to contact your Members of Congress and share with them what these proposed cuts will do to families.

We could end the pain and suffering this epidemic has caused millions of people for more than three decades. Let’s not give up now when we’re so close.