opinion
What editorial writers are saying about Obama's national AIDS strategy
■ The Obama administration in July unveiled an HIV/AIDS strategy that aims to reduce HIV infections and provide better care to people living with HIV.
Posted Aug. 9, 2010.
The move has been praised by some as a renewed effort to fight AIDS, but others question if any progress will be made without greater funding.
Obama's AIDS strategy a test of will
Several AIDS groups, bothered that the epidemic has dropped from public view, are grateful for the White House emphasis. Others are angry that plan isn't calling for more spending. On balance, the strategy is thrifty and targeted. San Francisco Chronicle, July 14
Obama's AIDS plan comes at a critical time
In the past 30 years, HIV and AIDS have gone from little understood death sentences to chronic illness. But public attention and awareness have waned. By following through on one of his campaign promises and offering a coordinated AIDS strategy, Obama is pushing the issue back to the forefront, itself a positive development. Sacramento (Calif.) Bee, July 18
Talk's cheap; treating HIV isn't
National strategies require national funding. On that score, Obama's plan falls short. If it succeeds, it will add more patients to an overcrowded, underfunded pool. The $19 billion a year that the United States already spends on HIV and AIDS won't cover them. Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 25
New attack on HIV/AIDS doesn't need more money
The plan fights complacency, reinvigorates the push for prevention and urges early diagnosis that can preserve people's quality of life. What the strategy doesn't do is pour more money into prevention and treatment programs. (White Plains, N.Y.) Journal News, July 18
HIV policy should be lauded
Many of the measures in the national strategy are simply bureaucratic changes or calls for greater communication. These can be undertaken for cheap or free -- they're just shifts in how agencies communicate on local, state, and federal levels. But somewhere along the line, money will come into play. The national strategy is couched in the idea that shifts in funding focus will allow for the suggested provisions and that funding will be allocated to areas and communities with the most need. Daily Iowan, July 28