Jehlen, Sciortino Push for AIDS Commission in MA

Rep. Sciortino and Senator Jehlen Work to Improve HIV/AIDS Testing and Prevention in Massachusetts Through Ground-Breaking Commission

On Monday, Representative Carl Sciortino and Senator Patricia Jehlen continued in their push to modernize HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention programs throughout the Commonwealth. The legislators co-hosted a briefing on HB 2908: Modernizing HIV Treatment and Prevention in Massachusetts, at which attendees heard from experts in the HIV/AIDS research and prevention field. The bill would establish a commission to create a coordinated response to HIV/AIDS; Massachusetts would be the first in the nation to create such a commission.

“Rapid HIV testing, prevention, and treatment options currently exist in the Commonwealth, but they have yet to be put into practice efficiently and effectively for all residents,” stated Rep. Sciortino in his welcoming remarks. “We must ensure that all relevant agencies are able to collaborate on care programs to ensure that all HIV/AIDS patients are receiving the same level of effective treatment. We have an ethical and societal responsibility to make sure there is a concerted effort to provide access and information to the most at-risk populations.”

The HIV Commission Bill seeks to overhaul current HIV/AIDS practices by developing a comprehensive strategy that would work to reduce the number of people who become infected with HIV, increase access to health care among those who are infected, reduce health care disparities among the different infected populations, and lower costs associated with new infections. The current cost to the Commonwealth for HIV programs is $200 million. By looking to optimize resources and lower the number of new cases of HIV each year, the Commission could save the Commonwealth millions of dollars in revenue without cutting vital treatment and prevention programs.

“There are over 18,000 people in Massachusetts currently living with HIV,” stated Senator Jehlen, a strong advocate for services and funding related to HIV/AIDS. “For these people, it is not an exaggeration to say that treatment options are a matter of life and death. They deserve the best coordinated efforts available to help in their fight, without stigma or discrimination. But even instituting the best practices for treatment is not enough; we must also make sure that we are constantly trying to lower the number of new people who are infected with HIV each year.”

The briefing included talks from Dr. Kenneth Mayer, Director of Brown University’s AIDS program, Kevin Cranston, Director of the Bureau of Infectious Disease at the Department of Public Health, and Rebecca Haag, President and CEO of the Massachusetts AIDS Action Committee. All three agreed that the bill was a good and necessary step to further efforts towards the treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS in the Commonwealth.

– Information from Rep. Sciortino