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CNY Health Care Organization Supports Gov Cuomo 'Blueprint' to End AIDS Epidemic

governor.ny.us

  A local healthcare professional strongly supports a new plan to lower HIV and AIDS within the state. The new blueprint comes from Governor Andrew Cuomo and  aims to lower infections from 3000 a year to 750 a year and to eventually end new AIDS cases by 2020.  Deputy Executive Director at A-C-R Health Will Murtaugh says the proposal could save millions of dollars a year because it will decrease infections and the amount of people treated for  the disease.

“The more people we can enroll and get tested, know their status, that can get on medicine that suppresses their viral load, the less likely it is for them to transmit the virus to anyone. Also the more people we can find that have lost themselves to care, we can get them reconnected to health care and we can get them on medicine to suppress the virus, it’s harder for them to transmit.”

Governor Cuomo has worked with three drug companies to lower drug costs and make sure the drugs are readily available to people who need them. One of the newest drugs to prevent AIDS infections is PrEP, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis.Murtaugh says the pill shows promise in actually cutting down on transmission

“It’s the first thing since a condom that an prevent the spread of HIV.  It is very effective, 92% effective.  Right now it’s about getting the information out there to the community that this is available to people.  If you’re in a situation, in a relationship with a HIV-positive person, we definitely recommend for the negative person to be on PrEP.”

Credit acrhealth.org

  Murtaugh says a man has to take the pill seven days in a row and a woman has to take it three weeks in a row for it to be effective. He says his organization is working to have local doctors prescribe PrEP like they would prescribe any other type of medication.

Cuomo’s Blueprint to End AIDS will expand HIV testing, offer clean syringe access and sexual education requirements. It also calls for the ability for minors to consent to the HPV vaccine, decriminalize syringe possession and have a statewide ban on the ability of law enforcement to use a person having condoms on them as evidence of prostitution.

Chris Bolt, Ed.D. has proudly been covering the Central New York community and mentoring students for more than 30 years. His career in public media started as a student volunteer, then as a reporter/producer. He has been the news director for WAER since 1995. Dedicated to keeping local news coverage alive, Chris also has a passion for education, having trained, mentored and provided a platform for growth to more than a thousand students. Career highlights include having work appear on NPR, CBS, ABC and other news networks, winning numerous local and state journalism awards.