World Aids Day Yesterday

Signs on Lake and Lucerne Avenues

When I drove into town yesterday morning I wondered what all the signage was all about. Rod Smith, Chair of the Florida Democratic Party says, we are in the midst of an epidemic. Not an epidemic that we simply hear about on TV, or that affects places we’ve never been to, but an epidemic that affects our neighbors, our friends and thousands in our community.

Florida is home to the 3rd largest population of those infected with HIV in the nation. One in every 205 white men, one in every 113 Latino men, and one in every 42 African American men is living with the AIDS virus in our state. Florida is one of the top three states with those with AIDS. Coincidentally, the states with the most people with AIDS/HIV are California and Texas, border states, and in Florida's case, a large population of immigrants. Nationally, AIDS is the leading cause of death among young African American women.

The federal budget request for fiscal year (FY) 2011 included a total of $20.4 billion for domestic HIV and AIDS, a 4% increase from the FY 2010 funding, which totaled $19.6 billion. Of this, 69 percent is for care, 14 percent for research, 13 percent for cash and housing assistance, and 4 percent for prevention. Of course, Rod Smith says that Rick Scott and Republicans are cutting funds and he is blaming the lack of funding on them. If you want to get involved, go to One.org.