U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-IL, met with the AIDS Foundation of Chicago and the Service Providers Council on Friday, Dec. 2, 2011, to discuss the AIDS epidemic and concerns that the political climate in Washington could threaten progress. What follows is an open letter of thanks to Sen. Durbin for his support.

December 5, 2011
The Honorable Richard J. Durbin
United States Senate
711 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510

Dear Sen. Durbin,

Thank you for taking the time to meet with us on Friday, one day after World AIDS Day, to discuss the ongoing AIDS epidemic in Chicago and throughout the country.

We count you as an important ally in this fight against AIDS. As you noted, your own political career runs parallel to this 30-year epidemic. Since you frightfully gathered your three children to talk about sex at the dawn of AIDS, we’ve made significant progress.

There have been groundbreaking medical advances in HIV prevention, developments that allow us to envision an AIDS-free generation. But, as we discussed, there remain significant political and economic challenges that threaten the gains made in recent years.

Particularly, we’re concerned that automatic deficit reductions will result in harmful cuts to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and research programs. We understand that programs like Social Security and Medicaid are protected from the sequester but we’re less confident about other important programs, such as Ryan White, the AIDS Drug Assistance Program and critical research funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Institutes of Health.

But there are other threats, too, such as partisan opposition to the full implementation of the Affordable Care Act, and, on the state level, enforcement of antiquated HIV criminal transmission laws that perpetuate fear and stigma.

We hope you will continue to be a fierce advocate for the 1.2 millions living with HIV/AIDS on all of these fronts. In particular, we appreciate your extraordinary leadership on allowing federal funding to be used for syringe exchanges, despite efforts to reinstate the ban that defy the solid, scientific evidence of effectiveness.

We would also like to thank Mr. Michael Bauer, who helped facilitate our meeting, and all the members of the Service Providers Council (SPC) who took time out of their own busy schedules to participate. A list of participants is included below. SPC members make a difference daily with their passionate advocacy and tireless work in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Please know, Sen. Durbin, that we plan on doing our part. As you observed, it’s critical to continue telling the human story of this epidemic. Indeed, those affected by HIV/AIDS are not just numbers. They are our brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, friends and lovers.

Thank you for listening to us. No question – in these troublesome times, we need friends like you in Washington’s halls of power. We appreciate your unwavering support.

Sincerely,
David Ernesto Munar
CEO/President of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago

Participants in the Dec. 2, 2011 meeting with Sen. Dick Durbin,
AIDS Foundation of Chicago Service Providers Council

Ann Fisher, AIDS Legal Council of Chicago
Michelle Wetzel, Alexian Brothers Bonaventure House
Jing Zhang, Asian Human Services
Maurice Chapman, Austin Health Center CBC Initiative
Antoine Maxwell, Brothers Health Collective
Dr. Alan Landay, Chicago Center for AIDS Research
Chris Brown, Chicago Department of Public Health
Deborah Johnson, Christian Community Health Center
Jamal Edwards, Howard Brown Health Center
Joe Hollendoner, Howard Brown Health Center
Tere Garate, Illinois Department of Public Health
Dr. Mildred Williamson, Illinois Department of Public Health
Michelle Gilbert, Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago
Ricardo Rivera, Midwest AIDS Training + Education Center
David Roesler, Open Door Clinic
Anne Statton, Pediatric AIDS Chicago Prevention Initiative
Pete McLoyd, Ruth M. Rothstein CORE Center
Curtis Reed, Chair of the Board of Directors, AIDS Foundation of Chicago

This is an open letter to President Barack Obama and the World AIDS Day panelists, including President George W. Bush, President Bill Clinton, Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, California Rep. Barbara Lee, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Bono and Alicia Keys. The historic discussion will take place on World AIDS Day, Dec. 1, at George Washington University, and can be viewed from the (RED) website.

November 30, 2011

The President
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President and distinguished World AIDS Day panelists,

Thank you for agreeing to sit down at the table on this historic World AIDS Day and renewing your commitment to bringing an end to the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

Reflecting on 2011, we expect this year to be known as the moment that finally put to rest the treatment v. prevention debate. As we all surely know now -- treatment is prevention.

Looking to the future, it's time to retire another worn-out dichotomy: the global v. domestic response to AIDS. We need a unified commitment and a detailed plan for fighting the epidemic at home and abroad, vigorously working toward the AIDS-free generation so eloquently envisioned by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last month.

We raise this point because we worry this World AIDS Day panel will focus largely on international issues. As you know, there are still over 1 million people in the United States with HIV. In several states, waiting lists for drug assistance are growing. Budgets are being cut.

Now is the time to recommit ourselves to the fight against AIDS here at home, or risk gains made in the past 30 years. Now is the time to articulate concrete steps the United States will take to make the bold vision of an AIDS-free generation a reality.

President Obama, you gave us hope with your unveiling of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy last year, the first of its kind. But now we need you to push this plan forward with detailed action. How will we fulfill its promise?

As you know, this is urgent. Between 2006 and 2009, the number of HIV infections among young gay/bisexual African-American men increased almost 50 percent -- the highest incidence increase of any at-risk group, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

President Bush, it was you who marshaled national resources for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). The significance of that cannot be overstated. We must scale up the program in order to meet the United Nations goal of treating 15 million people worldwide by 2015.

And we must also ask ourselves, what have we learned from PEPFAR that we can use to address the epidemic domestically?

President Clinton, when you addressed delegates at the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City in 2008, you vowed to broaden the focus of the William J. Clinton Foundation's HIV/AIDS Initiative to also target AIDS in America. This came on the heels of CDC data showing a 40 percent increase in HIV infections in the United States.

Respectfully, we have seen too little come of your pledge. No one can question your foundation's commitment to HIV/AIDS globally, but it is time to bring the fight home.

Sen. Marco Rubio, as you well know, over 3,000 people in your state of Florida are currently on the AIDS Drug Assistance Program waiting list. We hope you're committed to changing that by fighting to provide those people with access to affordable medication.

Rep. Barbara Lee, you have been a lionhearted advocate for HIV/AIDS in this country. You were instrumental in eliminating the HIV travel and immigration ban and bringing the International AIDS Conference to Washington, D.C., in July. Please continue leading us in this fight, globally and at home.

And Bono, we commend you for your work through ONE and (RED). We hope you'll continue to use your celebrity to broker discourse on HIV/AIDS everywhere it resides, including the United States.

To all of you, we thank you for your passion and commitment.

With a greater allocation of resources for HIV prevention, care and treatment to meet the National HIV/AIDS Strategy targets, stalwart defense of the Affordable Care Act, and a renewed federal commitment to the Medicaid program, we can make enormous progress against HIV/AIDS.

Ending HIV/AIDS is a moral and humanitarian endeavor that matches our commitment to curb unnecessary future healthcare expenditures and increase our nation's productivity.

Let us stir our citizens to action! A reinvigorated and well-informed American public is necessary to ending AIDS globally and at home in the United States.

On this World AIDS Day, we implore you to pledge greater attention and support to move forward on efforts to end the AIDS epidemic worldwide.

Striving for an end to AIDS domestically is as important as our nation's commitments to rid the world of AIDS globally through an expanded commitment to PEPFAR; the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Malaria, and Tuberculosis; and comprehensive prevention and treatment efforts.

We urge you to make a bold announcement about our nation's ability to begin to end this epidemic in our country, our communities and our world.

Respectfully yours,

David Ernesto Munar
President/CEO of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago


Follow David Ernesto Munar on Twitter: www.twitter.com/dmunar

Staff from the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) will share best practices in HIV prevention policy and research at the 2011 National HIV Prevention Conference in Atlanta, August 14-17, 2011.  Convened by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the biannual conference gathers thousands of researchers, public health officials, and advocates to share the latest findings in science, policy, and practice to curb the rate of new HIV infections in the U.S.

AFC will showcase several of its cutting-edge initiatives during the four day conference, including the preliminary findings of a new research project tracking the attitudes and beliefs of HIV-positive individuals seeking HIV-related services.  The preliminary findings have application on an array of strategies designed to help HIV-positive people gain early access to continuous and high-quality HIV-related care.

AFC’s HIV Prevention Justice Alliance (HIV PJA) will host an array of workshops, sessions, and activities for HIV prevention advocates and allies dedicated to eradication of social drivers that elevate risk for HIV acquisition, such as mass incarceration, LGBTQ marginalization, and poverty.

In other sessions, AFC will present on its female condom education campaign called Ringonit.org and host a discussion about HIV treatments as primary prevention as part of its Mapping Pathways project.

To coincide with the conference, AFC is releasing its Public Health Research guide, published as part of the WithInSight series sponsored by Bristol-Myers Squibb.  In Chicago, AFC is also launching its new health-promotion social marketing campaign called ChangeMyStory.org.  The campaign includes bus shelter ads in seven focus communities on the Southside as well as an information website on HIV and other health topics relevant to the African-American community.

For a full listing of AFC sessions occurring at the 2011 National HIV Prevention Conference please download the schedule .