FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 29, 2015
Contacts:
Mikola De Roo, Housing Works, 347-585-6051, m.deroo@housingworks.org
Lei Chou, TAG, 917-355-3684, Lei.Chou@treatmentactiongroup.org
Anthony Hayes, Gay Men’s Health Crisis, 646-591-4893, AnthonyH@GMHC.org
Governor releases Blueprint to End AIDS in NYS by 2020
New York, NY—Governor Cuomo formally accepted the long-awaited Blueprint to End AIDS at a public event on Wednesday, marking an important step towards fulfilling his commitment to end AIDS in New York State.
On Wednesday, Governor Cuomo, surrounded by members of the Task Force, elected officials, and hundreds of HIV/AIDS activists from across New York State, formally accepted the Blueprint to End AIDS at a public event at the LGBT Center in. This document was created by the state Department of Health appointed Task Force comprised of 63 activists, health service providers, researchers, and public health professionals from around the state who met regularly for three months to craft comprehensive recommendations to the Governor, the State legislature, State agencies, county and city governments, as well as health providers, the private sector, and community-based organizations. The resulting Blueprint articulates 30 recommendations that must be implemented for the State Plan to succeed—to decrease new HIV infections to fewer than 750 by 2020—and includes as well seven recommendations for “Getting to Zero” HIV infections and the ultimate eradication of HIV. In addition to the human impact of ending AIDS statewide, effective implementation of the Blueprint recommendations to end AIDS by 2020 will save New York State $4.5 Billion in Medicaid savings as reported in the Associated Press last week. The Blueprint was submitted in January, and has not previously been publicly released.
End AIDS NY 2020 Coalition, a group of over 60 AIDS/HIV, LGBT, and community-based organizations from across the state has been waiting for this day:
“I commend the Governor on his bold leadership to put New York on a historic path to becoming the first state to end AIDS. His vision builds upon New York’s past innovation and leadership and will make our state the model for national and global action. This Blueprint will be an invaluable tool for advocates and legislators to be able to work together and find real solutions and the support needed to end the epidemic.” –Charles King, CEO of Housing Works
“Today marks the beginning of what could be one of the last chapters in the fight to end HIV and AIDS. We have the tools, we have the data and we have the unprecedented political will and partnership with Governor Andrew Cuomo. We now have a blueprint to help make the plan to End AIDS as an epidemic by 2020 a reality.” – Kelsey Louie, CEO of Gay Men’s Health Crisis
“If enacted fully, this plan will provide an unprecedented opportunity to support and scale up interventions we know will work for our communities – from condoms to housing – as well as create access and opportunities to newer interventions, like pre-exposure prophylaxis. We can’t afford not to seize it.” – Jacquelyn Kilmer, CEO of Harlem United
“The Blueprint will support long and healthy lives for all HIV-positive New Yorkers, while preventing over 10,000 new infections in the next six years alone, and will save the state over $6 billion in the long run in averted treatment and health care costs.” –Mark Harrington, Executive Director of Treatment Action Group (TAG).
“This is what leadership looks like. Less than one year ago, Governor Cuomo committed to ending AIDS, convened experts to create a plan and, starting today, we will set NYS on the trajectory to end AIDS by ensuring everyone at risk has access to housing, treatment, testing, and all prevention tools.” -Jennifer Flynn, Executive Director, VOCAL-NY
A public release of this Blueprint will galvanize the fiscal and legislative support needed to End the Epidemic and fulfill Governor Cuomo’s promise to lead New York State to end AIDS as an epidemic by the year 2020!
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