DC Commission on HIV and AIDS
Staff Writer
2011-02-26
.dmvblogspot.bloggieblog.com .
Mayor Vincent C. Gray announced the creation of the Mayor’s Commission on HIV/AIDS to help end the HIV epidemic in the District of Columbia. The Commission will focus on treatment, the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS and the prevention to stop new infections. Mayor Gray also announced that the DC Department of Health (DOH) has taken steps to improve access and quality of care for residents living with HIV/AIDS immediately.
While the Commission is working, DOH will implement immediate programmatic changes to improve care. The changes will affect residents, medical providers and the system of care as a whole. Treatment on Demand: DOH will immediately start work to create a system that provides HIV/AIDS treatment to anyone who requires it in the District. Treatment of HIV/AIDS both improves the health of the patient and significantly reduces the risk of transmission. Returning Citizens: DOH has engaged the Chair of the US Parole Commission to coordinate care so that all citizens with HIV/AIDS returning to the community after time in the federal prison system remain on treatment and are immediately connected to care.
“By bringing together HIV leaders from our best medical institutions, our universities, and the community, this Commission will ensure that we fight HIV as One City,” said Mayor Gray. “The rate of deaths from HIV/AIDS has decreased, however we still have a 3% infection rate, every resident needs to take this disease seriously and be invested in ending new infections.”