The AIDS Drug Assistance Program Crisis in America

There is a devastating, yet little known, public health crisis going on in America as we speak. There are thousands of HIV-positive individuals being denied life-saving medications due to budget restrictions. This is the ADAP Crisis.

ADAP, or AIDS Drug Assistance Program, is a vital program that assists HIV-positive individuals with paying for the incredibly expensive medications needed to treat and manage this devastating disease. Without these essential medications, a person’s HIV disease is more likely to progress and become life-threatening. ADAP funding is being slashed in most states across the country. Thousands of HIV-positive people have been terminated from their state programs outright and thousands more are being placed on growing waiting lists. Currently, there are more than 5,550 people in ten states on ADAP waiting lists. Many other states have re-figured their ADAP requirements, thereby cutting many patients from their programs and putting countless others in jeopardy of losing coverage.

In an effort to come together and address this crisis, the ADAP Advocacy Association hosted a 2011 Emergency ADAP Summit, entitled ADAPs in Crisis: Preparing for 2011 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.  Florida is at the epicenter of the ADAP crisis, with over half of the 5,550 people on ADAP waiting lists in this state alone.

One participant at the conference was Mark S. King, a long-time HIV/AIDS activist. While at the conference, he created a real-time video blog as an episode of his popular video series My Fabulous Disease entitled AIDS Activism 101: Steps to end the ADAP crisis. The video captures the essence of the ADAP crisis, with key activists providing their thoughts on what this crisis means and what we can do to end it now. (You can view it in its entirety below).

As Mark S. King stated to me, "We all must stand up for ADAP. I went to the conference knowing very little and am ashamed of my own inaction until now. Those of us 'outside' this issue because we are blessed with insurance and meds have got to speak up for our poz friends doing without. It's one of those defining moments for us."

This is the key to advocacy. It's not just about those who are directly affected by the issue at hand. It's about all of us coming together for a common goal. For those of us who can speak up to be a voice for those who cannot. This is even more essential for ADAP advocacy. Many of the HIV-positive patients who are cut from ADAP are those with little to no political power or financial resources. Our nation's financial climate is not improving and as such, many of the most vulnerable residents are the ones who suffer the consequences. In addition, these people are stigmatized and disenfranchised for multiple reasons: for being HIV-positive, for living in poverty, for being a person of color, for being gay. Historically, these are the populations most often ignored and marginalized by our nation. The ADAP Crisis encompasses this and as such, it too has been ignored.

Brandon M. Macsata, CEO of ADAP Advocacy Association, eloquently states on the video: "We are telling our people in this country: 'know your status, go get tested.' From a medical perspective we're telling people: 'go get treated, it will make you healthier.' And then we're telling people: 'oh by the way, go get in line, we can't pay for it.'"

This is such a sad irony of our current state of the AIDS epidemic in our country. There is an incredible push for testing, yet once a person knows his/her status, what then? To continue to ignore the ADAP Crisis is utterly unacceptable for a nation as wealthy and progressive as America.

Please take some time to sign the current petitions related to the ADAP Crisis. There is one for Florida and one for Virginia. Stay tuned for more ADAP state specific pieces in the near future. If we haven't covered your state yet, don't worry, we will. This is a national crisis that deserves national attention.

Photo Credit: ADAP Advocacy Association