As funding cuts take toll, AIDS lobby day brings huge crowd to State House

More than 500 people turned out at the State House Jan. 29 to send lawmakers the message that despite the economic downturn the state should make no further cuts to HIV/AIDS funding.

The attendees, a mix of HIV/AIDS service providers, people living with the disease, and friends and family members of people affected by the epidemic, took part in the annual lobby day of Project AIDS Budget Legislative Effort (ABLE), a statewide HIV/AIDS lobbying coalition. In years past the Project ABLE lobby day has drawn a couple hundred participants, but the urgency of the budget crisis prompted many of the Project ABLE coalition organizations to make a particularly strong effort this year to bring people to the State House. Yet despite the extraordinary effort on the part of HIV/AIDS advocates, it was not immediately clear whether lawmakers responded to the message.

That afternoon three advocates for the Latin American Health Institute (LHI), Daniel Ramos, Anna Vaquerano and Saul Martinez, wandered the halls of the State House to lobby state Sen. Anthony Galluccio and state Rep. Eugene O'Flaherty, who both represent Chelsea residents Ramos and Vaquerano. Ramos serves as a case manager for LHI's gay men's program, Vaquerano works as a case manager for Latina women, and Martinez, a Lynn resident, works to connect gay men struggling with addiction to crystal meth to medical services.

When the LHI advocates walked into Galluccio's office an aide told them that the senator would have no time to meet with them that day. But as the aide took down their contact information Galluccio emerged from his inner office, and he paused to chat with them on his way out the door. Ramos introduced the group, explained that they were calling on lawmakers to support maintaining funding for HIV/AIDS programs, and told Galluccio, "We want to relay the message to support us."

Galluccio replied with a quick "okay" and promptly changed the subject, spending several minutes chatting with the three advocates about where they live in the district, before excusing himself and ducking out the door. After they left the office Ramos, clearly frustrated, said, "You're trying to get the word out but they don't want to hear it."

At O'Flaherty's office the advocates had the opportunity to make their pitch for HIV/AIDS funding. O'Flaherty was unavailable, but his aide, Jessica Zarni, met with them outside in the hallway and listened as each of them described their work with LHI and their concerns about the impact of HIV/AIDS on Chelsea's Latino population, particularly among women and gay men. "How can we do this [work] more effectively without the support of government?" Martinez said. Zarni thanked them for their comments but gave no indication of whether O'Flaherty supported sustained funding for HIV/AIDS.

An HIV-positive Quincy woman named Diane, who declined to provide her last name, told Bay Windows that she has been participating in the Project ABLE lobby day for several years, but she said lawmakers and their staff rarely give a clear answer when asked to support HIV/AIDS funding. Diane said she had just come from lobbying an aide to state Sen. Michael Morrissey, who represents Quincy.

"[Lawmakers and their aides] don't say much at all, but this is my twelfth year living with HIV and AIDS, and I'm alive because of the services I was able to get in Quincy," said Diane, who said she has relied on extensive services from Quincy/South Shore AIDS Cares.

Kim Kroeger, program director for Quincy/South Shore AIDS Cares, said her program relies entirely on state funding.

"If we didn't get the state funding, we wouldn't exist," said Kroeger.

The Project ABLE lobby day comes at a particularly dire moment for HIV/AIDS funding. Last October, working to offset expected budget shortfalls, Gov. Deval Patrick cut about $1.5 million from the $37.7 million state HIV/AIDS budget for Fiscal Year 2009 (FY09); Patrick made the cuts as part of a series of budget cuts using his emergency 9C powers. Since then Patrick's administration has announced an expected $6 billion shortfall over FY09 and FY10. On Jan. 28 Patrick made another emergency $240,000 cut to the HIV/AIDS budget using his 9C powers, and his budget proposal for FY10 contained even more cuts, amounting to more than $2.1 million in lost funding over FY09 and FY10. So far those cuts have meant reduced funding for STD clinics, home health services, prevention and education programs, counseling and testing programs, client services, and residential support services, according to Project ABLE.

During a rally the morning of the lobby day in the State House's Gardner Auditorium state Rep. Carl Scortino told the crowd that despite the state's fiscal crisis they should have no qualms about asking lawmakers to prioritize HIV/AIDS funding. Sciortino, who prior to his election in 2004 worked for Fenway Health, said he himself lobbied for HIV/AIDS funding before becoming a state representative.

"We're talking about life and death. Don't be shy about that," said the Medford pol. "You need to make them feel the emotions you feel when you think of your services being cut, or for your loved ones. ...This work cannot be cut; it needs to be increased."

Gary Daffin, executive director of the Multicultural AIDS Coalition (MAC), told the crowd that the need for state-funded HIV/AIDS services is particularly great among gay men. Citing a report issued last year by the Department of Public Health (DPH) showing the disproportionate impact of HIV on gay and bi men in Massachusetts he said,

"Basically gay men are 75 times more likely to have HIV than men who have sex with only women. ... What it tells us is gay men are still the population where the most disproportionate impact seems to be from AIDS."

DPH Commissioner John Auerbach thanked the lobby day crowd for its work. While the current budget cycle would be difficult, he said, there are some opportunities to stave off funding losses. Auerbach praised Patrick's proposal to eliminate a tax exemption for the sale of alcohol, candy and soda, saying the move would bring in about $120 million in new revenue for public health programs.

Auerbach also advised attendees to focus on lobbying their representatives in Washington as well as on Beacon Hill. He said that among the various stimulus plans under consideration are proposals to increase HIV counseling and testing funding, and he urged the crowd to tell their representatives in Congress to ""know we need that money at the federal level, too."

Roxbury state Rep. Gloria Fox took to the podium just before the rally's conclusion, giving a spirited call to arms that prompted a raucous standing ovation. Fox explained that as passionate as they are about their cause, they are competing with advocates seeking funding for a bevy of other public health programs and social services that stand to lose money in the current fiscal climate.

"You're here to speak to each of your state reps and senators because this is where the money is. It's very simple. ... All of us, believe you me, are in competition for the very shrinking dollars you've all heard about," said Fox.

Yet she told the crowd that it was their responsibility to make sure that lawmakers understood the importance of funding for HIV/AIDS.

"This is the people's house. You bought it. You own it. Now work it," said Fox.

Ethan Jacobs can be reached at [email protected]