Illinois HIV/AIDS Healthcare Professionals Urge Congress to Support Ryan White CARE Act

June 3, 2005

Dear Member of Congress:

As Illinois healthcare professionals specializing in the care and treatment of HIV/AIDS, we are writing to ask you to swiftly reauthorize and adequately fund the Ryan White CARE Act. The CARE Act is the nation’s flagship response to the domestic HIV/AIDS epidemic. With your help, the CARE Act can continue to provide low-income and uninsured Americans with HIV/AIDS the essential medical and social services they need to extend and improve their lives.

HIV/AIDS remains a life threatening infectious disease and a significant public health emergency. Nearly one million people in the United States are living with HIV, including more than 405,000 who are living with AIDS. Approximately 250,000 individuals living with HIV are unaware of their status, and another 250,000 who know their status do not have access to care and treatment. Every year, more than 40,000 new infections occur in the U.S., 1,600 of those in Illinois. More than 30,000 AIDS cases and over 16,400 deaths due to AIDS have been reported in Illinois since 1981.

The CARE Act plays an integral role in state and local responses to the growing epidemic by creating the infrastructure to identify, develop, and coordinate high-quality, cost-efficient care and services for some of the state’s most vulnerable populations. Thanks to medical advances and the services supported by the CARE Act, the number of annual AIDS deaths in Illinois decreased by 55% from 1991 – 2000.

The comprehensive range of medical and support services provided by the CARE Act must continue. These include medical care, laboratory services, and HIV medications, but also must include mental health services, case management, food and nutrition services, transportation, legal assistance, substance abuse treatment and other enabling services that allow people to gain access to and remain in care.

In order to reverse historic under-funding for the program, Congress should appropriate no less than $2,638.69 million for the CARE Act in Fiscal 2006, with a $114.9 million increase going to Title I cities; a $50 million increase for Title II states; a $303 million increase for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program; a $41 million increase for Title III clinics; a $40 million increase for Title IV women, children, and family services; and a $45 million increase for healthcare provider education through the AIDS Training and Education Centers.

Since its inception in 1990, the CARE Act has enjoyed strong bipartisan support because of its ability to reach those in greatest need in both urban and rural communities. We look to you to continue the CARE Act legacy by swiftly reauthorizing the program and appropriating sufficient funding so that people with HIV/AIDS can receive the rationale and cost-effective out-patient services they need to survive.

Sincerely,

Homer Abiad, MD, Western Springs
Danilo Alesna, MD, Waukegan
Amanda Alvarez, CNA, Streamwood
Judy Anderson, LPN, Peoria
Cheryl L. Aredia, RN, Waukegan
Dave Arnold, MD, Chicago
Kendra Arnold, BS, Bloomington
Vary Arrington RN, MS, Chicago
Jaana Avramidis, MD, Waukegan
Tom Barrett, MD, Chicago
Daniel S. Berger MD, Chicago
Margo Bell MD, Chicago
Johanna Bieberly, APN, Chicago
Sally Bice, Case Manager, Aurora
Ed Bird MSW, Chicago
Jack Bishop, Executive Director, The Phoenix Center, Springfield
Kelly Bojan, FNP, Chicago
Jacqueline Boone RN, Chicago
Pam Briggs, MSW, Peoria
Jon D. Brockelman RN, Chicago
Ann Bryant, MD, MSc, Chicago
Mary Cavanaugh Byers RN, Chicago
Alice Cameron, Chicago
Ryan Cannon, BS, Peoria
Becky J. Cervenka FNP, Chicago
Maurice S. Chapman, Program Director of Westside Health Center of Cook County, Chicago
Eric Christoff MD, Chicago
Claudette Cohen, Chicago
Mardge Cohen MD, Chicago
Kathryn Connor, RPh, Peoria
Diana Cook, BS, Morton
William Cruikshank, MD, Chicago
Alvin de la Cruz, RN, Chicago
Kathy Cusimano RN, BSN, Skokie
PeggyAnne Davenport, Rockford
Murrie Davis, RN,ANP, Harvey
Tamarah L. Duperval MD, MPH, Chicago
Kelli Easterly, DC, Chicago
Glenn Ensinger, MA Canton
Paula Esser, BA, Glasford
Edna Estrella NP, Chicago
Richard Ezgur, DC, Chicago
Emily Falendysz, RN, Chicago
John Farrell, MD, Peoria
Barbara Filajdic, MSW, LSW, Waukegan
William Flores, PA, Chicago
Neel French MD, Chicago
Nancy Fritz, MD, Chicago
Harry Ginsberg, MD, Waukegan
Nancy Glick, MD, Chicago
Andrew J. Gorecki, L.Ac., Chicago
Margaret A. Gorecki RN, Chicago
David Grossman, MD, Waukegan
Andrew Halbur RPh, Chicago
Scott Hartman, MD, Chicago
Lisa M. Henry-Reid, MD, Chicago
Gayle Hidden, RN, East Peoria
Ronald L. Hirsch MD, Elgin
Carole HoKe, BA, Peoria
Jacinta Hornibrook, RN, Chillicothe
Jay Hubbs, MSW, Peoria
Lisa Iffland, MS, OTR/L, Chicago
Rachel Jackson, FNP, Chicago
Rupali Jain, PharmD, BCPS, Chicago
Jennifer Jao, MD, Chicago
Joetta Jefferson RN, Chicago
Bethsheba Johnson MSN, CNS, GNP-BC, Chicago
Daniel Johnson, MD, Chicago
Pamela Moss-Jones, Pharm.D., South Holland
Diane E. Judge, ANP, CNP, Chicago
Pramode K Keshava, MD, Chicago
Marcia Katz, MD, Chicago
Thomas P. Koppes, RN, Chicago
Denise Koppit, Waukegan
Harold Kessler MD, Chicago
Laura Kuever MSW, Waukegan
Thomas R. Klein MD, Chicago
Patricia Langehennig, MD, MPH, Joliet
Leah Laurie LCSW, Chicago
Jenny Lee MD, Chicago
Audrey LeMasters, MSW Princeville
Patricia Littlejohn RN, Chicago
Tim Long, MD, Chicago
Tahira Malik MD, Waukegan
Jaime Martinez MD, Chicago
Sarz Maxwell MD, FASAM, Chicago
Dianna J McBride MS, CNP, Ford Heights
Kathy McLoyd RN, Chicago
Lauren McTeague, MSN, APN-CNP, Chicago
Sunita Mohapatra MD, Chicago
Joseph E. Moroschan MD, Chicago
Arthur Moswin MD, Chicago
Joene Murphy PharmD, Chicago
Robert L. Murphy MD, Chicago
Frances J. Myers RN, Springfield
Douglas Pavkov, RN, Peoria
Marlynn Patel, MD, Peoria
Glen Pietrandoni R.Ph., Chicago
Linda Perry RN, Chicago
Simon Piller MD, Chicago
Julie Pryde MSW, LSW, Champaign
Alison Quiring, Chicago
Stephanie Powell, PA-C, Chicago
Rev. Besty Ritzman, Director AIDS Pastoral Care Network, Chicago
Allison Pizzi, MSSA, LSW, Chicago
Jessica Randall, MSW, Peoria
Dr. Suma Rao, Rockford
Charles Redeker, MSW, Peoria
Linda Reid, BA, Peoria
Ronald Rembert, MD, Chicago
Leigh H. Roberts, MD, Chicago
Lisa Roeder, MA, Peoria
Norma Rolfson FNP, Chicago
Theodore Ross, MD, East St. Louis, IL
Janice Rossbach, MD, Chicago
Lisa Russell, MD, Chicago
Benjamin Samuels MD, Chicago
Laura Schroeder, MD, Elgin
Sarah-Anne Schumann MD, Chicago
Ronnie Schweit, Oak Park
Kirsten Schwiesow, BSW, Chicago
Beverly Sha, MD, Chicago
James Sims, MD, Waukegan
David C. Slagle, MD, Peoria
Patricia E. Sloan, EdD, RN, FAAN, Chicago
Ross A. Slotten MD, Chicago
Vijaya Somaraju, MD, Peoria
Ray Sousa, MPC, Chicago
Anne Statton, Project Director Pediatric AIDS Chicago Prevention Initiative, Chicago
Audrey Stillerman, MD, Chicago
James F. Sullivan MD, Chicago
Mabel Taplin, Chicago
Sharon T. Tear, MS, APN, Peoria
Mary L. Tornabene APN CNP, Chicago
Ann Trauscht, MD, Waukegan
Allison Truckenbrod, MPAS, PA-C, Chicago
James Tucker, MSW, LCSW, Chicago
Anthony J. Vaccaro MD, Chicago
Mark Vajaranant, MD, Chicago
Nicolas Vogel MD, Chicago
Tracy Vogelsang, BS, Bloomington
Lori Walters, RD, Morton
Robert A Weinstein, MD, Chicago
Brenda Williams RN, Chicago
Sarah Williams, RN, MSN, APN/CNP, Chicago
Barbara Wilson RN, Chicago
Pamela Wrenn, Black Health Alert, Chicago
Ram Yogev, MD, Chicago
Lynn Yontz, APN, Rockford
Andrew Zalski, MD, Chicago

CARE Act Action Center

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