Latino Groups Sign Letter Urging Hillary Clinton to Commit to HIV/AIDS Strategy
Several Latino groups joined activists, LGBT groups, and others in signing a letter to Hillary Clinton this week, asking the Democratic presidential candidate to fully commit to a plan to end the HIV epidemic by the year 2025.
The Latino Commission on AIDS, Latinos in the Deep South, OASIS-Latino LGBTS Wellness Center, and the Hispanic Health Network were among the groups included in the letter.
The groups sent the letter to the 2016 Democratic presidential front-runner after her recent mischaracterization of the role President Reagan and first lady Nancy Reagan played in the AIDS crisis. Clinton said that the Reagans started a "national conversation about AIDS and HIV."
"As you have acknowledged over the past several days, in order to realize a viable vision for our future together, the darkest time in our shared history of AIDS must be remembered with accuracy, and we must be able to acknowledge the true heroes and successful strategies amassed in the fight against HIV, both past and present," the letter adds.
Clinton Angered Some With Praise for Reagans in AIDS Fight
Clinton was taken to task after makin the comments and has since issued an apology for the error.
"President Reagan did not utter the words 'AIDS' or 'HIV' publicly until 1985, and his first speech about HIV/AIDS was not given until 1987," the letter stresses. "By which point, over 40,000 people had died of AIDS-related causes."
While acknowledging the former secretary of state's overall record and documented commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS, group members went on to demand more of her.
Among other proposals, the group pushed Clinton to appoint an HIV adviser to her campaign. In addition, the group urged her to meet with HIV community leaders to devise a national plan of attack on the disease, as well as a plan to vastly increase funding for global AIDS programs like the President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) over the next several years.
New York City Plan Praised for Direction
As yet another blueprint, organizers pointed to the Ending the Epidemic (ETE) task force appointed by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo two years ago, which is devoted to eradicating the disease in the state by 2020 through expanded HIV testing, early antiretroviral treatment and essential services for those affected by the disease.
"ETE now serves as the foundation for budget and policy priorities for reaching the 2020 goal, and its implementation is underway," the letter adds. "Governor Cuomo's bold commitment sparked national and global interest and action. Since 2014, other U.S. jurisdictions, including Washington State, Colorado, and San Francisco, have seized the opportunity to end their local HIV/AIDS epidemics; and similar efforts are underway in Atlanta, Texas, and Massachusetts."
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