Governor Also Has Committed $200 Million to Support HIV/AIDS Efforts in 2016-2017 Budget, Supplementing the $2.5 Billion the State Currently Directs to Address HIV/AIDS
One World Trade Center, Alfred E. Smith Building and SUNY Administration Building to Light Up in Red Tonight
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today observed World AIDS Day – a global day of action to commemorate those who have died as a result of HIV/AIDS and to recommit to combatting the epidemic. Marking the occasion, the Governor announced a $500,000 commitment from the State to help fund the New York City AIDS Memorial. Additionally, the Governor has directed that the lights on One World Trade Center’s 408-foot spire, as well as the top of the Alfred E. Smith Building and the SUNY System Administration Building in Albany, light up red tonight in recognition of World AIDS Day.
The Governor made these announcements at the Apollo Theater in New York City, where he also received the World AIDS Day Leadership Award from the End AIDS NY 2020 Coalition. Because of the Governor’s actions, New York State is a national leader in providing high quality support services to individuals infected with HIV/AIDS, directing more than $2.5 billion annually to fight against the disease.
“Today, we honor the friends, relatives and loved ones who have died because of this terrible epidemic, and we pledge to do whatever is necessary to end AIDS in the near future,” said Governor Cuomo. “I believe that every state has an obligation to end AIDS, and here in New York, we are leading by example. We are expanding testing, ensuring that everyone with HIV can get treatment, and breaking down barriers to preventive medicine. New York State is rapidly closing the gap against this epidemic, and we will not stop until it is a thing of the past.”
The New York City AIDS Memorial will be the first permanent, free-standing tribute in New York City to the more than 100,000 New Yorkers who have died from AIDS, as well as the countless others who have helped to raise awareness and care for those living with AIDS. The shovel-ready project will be located at W. 12th St. and Greenwich Ave., and will feature an 18-foot triangular canopy structure creating a gateway to the park and a covered gathering location.
Yesterday, Governor Cuomo also made a series of announcements regarding the next phase of New York State’s Plan to End the AIDS Epidemic in the State. First, he announced that in addition to the $2.5 billion that the State currently directs to HIV/AIDS efforts, his administration will make additional financial and programmatic commitments of $200 million to ensure that New York State Ends AIDS by 2020, including:
1. expanding the availability of affordable housing and providing additional housing assistance for those living with HIV;
2. making life insurance available to individuals between the ages of 30 and 60 living with HIV;
3. investing more funding into Medicaid Managed Care Plans; and
4. investing more funding to help enhance services at “One Stop” STD clinics in New York City.
Governor Cuomo is also calling on the federal government to increase its contribution nationwide for housing assistance for people living with HIV and AIDS. Funding from the federal government for the Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA) nationwide has remained effectively stagnant for more than five years at less than $300 million annually, and renewed support from Washington is vital to maintaining the progress that has been achieved thus far in addressing the epidemic.
In addition to these items, the Governor plans to outline other components to the State’s plan to End AIDS in the Governor’s State of the State address and executive budget early next year.
Further, the Governor announced that the State has made great strides toward his goal to End AIDS by 2020. No new cases of mother-to-child transmission of HIV have been reported since August of 2014, for the first time there have been no new cases over a twelve-month period since the outbreak of the AIDS epidemic. Additionally, New York State has been recognized as a national leader in the effort to increase availability of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) a medication that helps HIV-negative individuals reduce their risk of becoming infected. Since June 2014, there has been a more than 300 percent increase in PrEP use among Medicaid enrollees.
To date, more than 202,000 New Yorkers have been diagnosed with AIDS, and more than 112,000 individuals in the State are currently living with diagnosed HIV/AIDS. Earlier this year, Governor Cuomo’s “Ending the Epidemic Task Force” delivered its final blueprint for fulfilling the goal of ending the epidemic by 2020. Since that time, major steps have been taken to implement the plan’s three main pillars of: (1) expanding HIV testing, (2) ensuring that everyone with HIV can get treatment, and (3) increasing the availability of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), a medication that helps HIV-negative individuals reduce their risk of becoming infected. This includes: significantly increasing the use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), enhanced efforts to increase viral suppression rates among state prison inmates, and identification of thousands of HIV-infected Medicaid recipients in need of support to achieve viral suppression.
Significant key accomplishments currently underway include:
- New York State significantly reduces Mother-to Child transmission of HIV/AIDS
- New York State significantly reduces estimates of New Yorkers living with HIV
- NYS Approves Life Insurance Product for Persons Living with HIV
- NYS Launches Medicaid Managed Care Program to Promote Patient Linkage and Retention in Care
- NYS Provides Additional Funding to NYC “One-Stop” STD Clinics to Enhance Services
- NYS Provides Support for HIV-positive inmates in New York State correctional facilities
- NYS Intensifies actions to ensure compliance with the HIV testing law
- NYS engages New Yorkers in ending the epidemic through statewide regional forums
- 2015 Launch of the NYS ETE Dashboard
For additional information on Ending the AIDS Epidemic in New York State, visit: health.ny.gov/EndingtheEpidemic.
World AIDS Day
In observance of World AIDS Day this year, Governor Cuomo will appear at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem, New York on Dec. 1 at 11:00 a.m. at a community event hosted by End AIDS coalition. Further, DOH will honor individuals from throughout the state for their commitment, contribution and response to improve and promote the health and well-being of all New Yorkers. To honor those who have passed and show support for those living with HIV/AIDS, New Yorkers of all ages are invited to the Empire State Plaza Convention Center in Albany on Dec. 1 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sections of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt will be on display and education sessions are open to the public. The DOH World AIDS Day event promotes education and awareness. Education is key to reducing related stigma and discrimination and achieving the end of the epidemic in our state by the end of 2020.
The full schedule of events and additional information on World AIDS Day activities is available here, and information on the New York State Cascade of Treatment is available here.
