Latest news with #StateoftheLGBTQ+Community
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
HIV funding cuts will hinder Ohio treatment and prevention, LGBTQ+ health group says
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — An Ohio healthcare system tailored to the LGBTQ+ community says federal cuts to HIV funding could undo progress in treating and preventing new cases, possibly leading to deadly ramifications. David Munar, CEO of Equitas Health, said the healthcare company is joining 13 other systems nationwide in opposing Trump administration plans to eliminate the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's division focused on HIV prevention. Munar argues that the cuts, which will hinder efforts to track and prevent future HIV outbreaks, will have a chilling domino effect. 'Ohio stands to lose, not only the funding, but also the ability to fight the epidemic in our state, and the ability to curve the epidemic for our people,' Munar said. 'Every case, every new infection means a lifetime cost of a half-a-million dollars. So, it's not even the human suffering, but economically it's also a big step back.' 'This should be a welcoming state:' DeWine denies claim of 'anti-LGBTQ+ climate' in Ohio NBC4 reached out to Sens. Jon Husted and Bernie Moreno from Ohio for statements about the threat to the public health workforce and federal funding but have yet to receive responses. A statement from Gov. Mike DeWine said, 'We do not have immediate comment as many of these announcements are fluid.' Munar said concern for some of the healthcare company's funding started this year when Trump ordered a freeze on domestic and foreign federal aid at the end of January. The appointment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the new secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services further fueled those worries, Munar said. Now, Equitas is continuing to provide care for Ohioans living with HIV, while also developing backup plans as the federal budget evolves. 'Making these investments also makes us better prepared for the epidemics that are on the rise,' Munar said. 'The better we are at tracking and preventing things like HIV [and] STIs makes us more nimble.' Delaware, Marysville LGBTQ+ groups say local businesses are dialing back support The administration's plans to dial back HIV funding have also caught the attention of Ohio LGBTQ+ advocates like Gil Kudrin. A long-term HIV survivor, Kudrin spoke at the inaugural 'State of the LGBTQ+ Community' meeting in Cleveland in late February after concern a program delegating treatment grants for low-income HIV patients could be the next target of cuts. 'If there is a 90-day interruption for that medication funding, it is likely in the following year there will be 109,000 deaths attributed to that interruption of treatment,' Kudrin said at the meeting. Kurdin's plea is especially poignant in a state like Ohio, which is home to six laws that have yielded at least 214 HIV-related criminal prosecutions from 2014 to 2020. While Statehouse proposals to repeal or alter those laws have been unsuccessful, Kurdin encouraged community members to continue advocating for the 27,000 Ohioans living with HIV. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Longtime advocate warns of Ohio deaths if federal HIV funding is cut
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — An Ohio HIV advocate said possible Trump administration plans to dial back HIV funding, including changes to a grant providing medication to low-income people with the virus, could cause thousands of deaths. Gil Kudrin, a long-term HIV survivor, is speaking out following growing concern the Ryan White HIV/AIDS program, which delegates treatment grants for low-income patients, could be the next target of budget cuts. The program provides medication to more than 50% of those living with HIV in the U.S., about half a million people, according to the Health Resources and Services Administration. 'There are thousands of people in this county, in this city who rely on Ryan White for their very survival,' Kudrin said at the inaugural 'State of the LGBTQ+ Community' meeting in Cleveland in late February. 'If there is a 90-day interruption for that medication funding, it is likely in the following year there will be 109,000 deaths attributed to that interruption of treatment.' Ohio group asks U.S. Supreme Court to allow student opt-outs for LGBTQ+ lessons Kudrin's warning came after some Cleveland-area physicians told him they received memorandums detailing the end of the program's funding. Since then, the Trump administration has terminated other grants related to the HIV drug PrEP and begun weighing a dueling plan to eliminate the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's division focused on HIV prevention, according to NBC News. Under this plan, the CDC's HIV prevention work could transition to be under the Ryan White program, should it remain. However, LGBTQ+ advocates warn the move could easily overburden the program given it's designed to assist those living with HIV, not to promote prevention. 'The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program does not fill all the HIV gaps,' Harold Phillips, deputy director for programs at the National HIV/AIDS Advocacy Network, told NBC News. 'It only serves those with an HIV diagnosis.' Another potential plan would cut as much as $700 million for the CDC's HIV division, NBC News also found. Each option is in the preliminary stages, and no final decisions have been made yet. The uncertainty surrounding the administration's HIV funding plan is why Kudrin is calling on Ohio's LGBTQ+ community to revive 'Act Up,' a protest movement that called for government action during the AIDS epidemic in the late '80s and early '90s. Kudrin, who has lived with HIV for around 40 years, said he has lost more than 100 friends to HIV and AIDS. Olentangy schools defends LGBTQ+ anti-bullying policies in federal court 'I need you now to fight as desperately for my life as I fought for other people's lives because, if they take my meds away, I have 45 days left of Biktarvy,' said Kudrin, referring to a common HIV drug that can cost more than $4,000 for a month-long supply. 'When you take my meds away, I will die. I will die within a year, at most, two. And I have a lot to live for.' Kurdin's plea is especially poignant in a state like Ohio, which is home to six laws that have yielded at least 214 HIV-related criminal prosecutions from 2014 to 2020. While Statehouse proposals to repeal or alter those laws have been unsuccessful, Kurdin encouraged community members to continue advocating for the 27,000 Ohioans living with HIV. 'This is not a joke, this is a call to action,' Kudrin said. 'If you do not act up now, you will never have another chance.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
