For Immediate Release
Media Contact:
Joana Casas, Program Communications Manager
(212) 806-1602
joana.casas@amfar.org

amfAR Recognizes Anniversary of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy –
Welcomes New Administration Initiatives 

NEW YORK, July 15, 2013—amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, today joined the Obama Administration, members of Congress and other advocacy groups in recognizing the third anniversary of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy.  amfAR also welcomed two new initiatives announced by the Administration to better address the domestic AIDS epidemic.

“The National HIV/AIDS Strategy has brought new focus on evidence-based policy, effective programming and achievement of specific outcomes in the domestic epidemic,” said amfAR CEO Kevin Robert Frost.  “In particular, the Strategy has helped bring greater attention to populations hardest hit by AIDS in America, including gay men and other men who have sex with men, and African American and Latino men and women.” 

The Administration today issued an Executive Order creating the “HIV Care Consortium Initiative” to coordinate efforts to improve care outcomes for people living with HIV/AIDS.  A demonstration project designed to develop approaches to integrate prevention and treatment services was also announced.

“We cannot achieve the President’s goal of an AIDS-Free Generation in the United States unless we create a health system better able to respond to the needs of those most affected by AIDS,” said Chris Collins, vice president and director of public policy at amfAR.  “The Affordable Care Act could be the gamechanger in the domestic HIV/AIDS epidemic,” Collins said.   “But we need efforts like the Initiative and demonstration project announced today to understand how to implement ACA most effectively.”

About amfAR                
amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, is one of the world’s leading nonprofit organizations dedicated to the support of AIDS research, HIV prevention, treatment education, and the advocacy of sound AIDS-related public policy.  Since 1985, amfAR has invested more than $366 million in its programs and has awarded grants to more than 2,000 research teams worldwide. To learn more, visit us at www.amfar.org.

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