A&PI Wellness Center’s Response to Funding Cuts

updated 11/09/04—As a result of San Francisco ballot measures, Propositions J and K, failing, the city projects a $97 million loss over 18 months. These anticipated funds have already been allocated to balance the current year's city budget. Thus, $19 million is to be cut from the San Francisco Department of Public Health, with implementation slated for January 16, 2005.

On November 9, 2004, Dr. Mitch Katz (Director of Health) presented to the Health Commission a $19 million cut in his department's budget, which included our integrated case management services. Six of A&PI Wellness Center's clients, along with Rachel Matillano (Director of HIV Care Services) and Lance Toma (Deputy Director), were present to testify on the devasting effect of again reducing funding for case management services necessary for our clients health and wellness.

After hearing testimonies from us and other AIDS organizations (including Shanti, AIDS Legal Referral Panel), the Health Commission is proposing that the reduction to integrated case management services is decreased by 50%. This proposal went to Mayor Newsom for decision. At this time, we are awaiting results.

updated 07/28/04—We are delighted to announce that the San Francisco Board of Supervisors has plugged the gap in funding for our HIV Care Services department. This funding has restored case management, peer advocacy and treatment advocacy staffing through June 2005, to levels more adequate to meet the needs of our clients. We continue to pursue funds for the long term to assure continuity in quality health care for our clients.

updated 05/10/04—A&PI Wellness Center staff member Lina Sheth
testified in Sacramento on May 10 regarding stalled payments to the CSTEP program. See text here (40 KB, Word file). Thanks to this effort, along with those of other organizations, the Schwarzenegger administration reversed course and promised to send checks right away.

updated 05/06/04—Cuts in Ryan White funding to both San Francisco and San Mateo Counties have had a serious impact on Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center, reducing our current capacity by more than 50 percent and cutting services to 90 severe-need A&PI clients living with HIV/AIDS. In total, we stand to lose $191,000 in funding.

At the same time, we will continue to offer services in both counties, to linguistically isolated immigrants and refugees, based on the integrated case management model we’ve used over the last several years. Our commitment to offer linguistic and culturally competent services is unshakable regardless of the challenges posed by the funding environment.

Aside from just being the only A&PI case management program in Northern California, A&PI Wellness Center creates and augments cultural competence capacity in the private and public health care systems at Positive Health Program (SFGH), California Pacific Medical Center, St. Mary’s, Saint Francis, and Kaiser Permanente, among others. As a result of funding cuts, these systems will become even more overburdened, at higher cost, to serve the same clients and patients – and increase morbidity and mortality.

One of the deepest ironies is that these cuts to integrated case management decreases San Francisco’s ability to provide culturally competent HIV “Prevention with Positives” services in order to comply with the mandate and investment of both CDC and the City/County of San Francisco: to identify more HIV-positive people – especially people of color – who know their positive status. As an agency, we are at a loss as to where will all these people be referred to for effective, relevant, culturally competent HIV risk reduction, case management, healthcare access, and treatment adherence at which San Francisco has worked so hard and in which San Francisco has become a national leader.

updated 4/1/04 — A&PI Wellness Center remains unshakable in its commitment to deliver multi-lingual services to people living with HIV/AIDS, despite devastating, unprecedented cuts in federal HIV/AIDS funding to San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin Counties, and threats to limit access to life-saving medications through California’s AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP). We are working closely with other service providers and community advocates, the San Francisco Department of Public Health and other local government officials, and people living with HIV/AIDS to lessen the impact of these developments. For example, on March 8th, we mobilized dozens of A&PI Wellness Center constituents in Sacramento to join demonstrators from around the state in the SAVE ADAP Rally to educate legislators regarding the catastrophic impact of proposed ADAP funding cuts on people living with HIV/AIDS. We will keep you updated you on these issues as they unfold. In the meantime, our doors remain open and we continue to provide integrated HIV care services through our main site in San Francisco’s Tenderloin, our satellite office in Downtown Oakland, and our regular presence in northern San Mateo County.

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