A Year Later, a Response Deferred
A year later, a response deferred: CDC’s “heightened national response” to HIV/AIDS in African-American community is chaotic, underfunded, and far from its goals.
As CDC quietly releases figures revealing an 80% boost in HIV in Black gay youth, advocates are calling for a national AIDS strategy, adequate funding, and political leadership. Launched with much fanfare in March 2007, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention’s (CDC) A Heightened National Response to the HIV/AIDS Crisis Among African-Americans called for “expanding the reach of prevention services; increasing opportunities for diagnosing and treating HIV; developing new, effective prevention interventions, and; mobilizing broader community action.”
One year later, the Heightened National Response (HNR) effort has been marked by shifting leadership, lack of communication to local leaders and community organizations, and no new funding for any initiatives that are not restricted to HIV testing. It is now widely believed that Madeline Sutton, MD, MPH, CDC Acting Director of Partnerships in the Department of HIV/AIDS Prevention, the latest in a series of individuals responsible for HNR, will once again restructure the initiative in an attempt to address its significant shortfalls.
