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New York, December
17, 2009
The
Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF)
commends the United States Congress
for passing legislation to eliminate
the ban on the use of federal funding
to support syringe exchange programs.
This legislation became official
yesterday when President Obama
signed the new appropriations bill.
The ban on federal funding for
syringe exchange programs has been
in place for more than 20 years,
significantly impeding efforts
to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic in
the U.S.
Since 2005, EJAF has invested
more than $1.6 million in syringe
access programs and studies evaluating
the efficacy of such programs.
Numerous scientific studies have
established that syringe exchange
is an effective prevention method
for helping injection drug users
to significantly reduce their risk
of becoming infected with HIV and
other blood-borne diseases and
transmitting these diseases to
others. Studies have also demonstrated
that syringe exchange programs
help to remove contaminated needles
and syringes from community streets,
playgrounds, and other public areas
and to encourage drug users to
avail themselves of other health
and social services, including
drug rehabilitation and treatment
programs.
“The Elton John AIDS Foundation
has proudly supported syringe exchange
programs across the United States
as a core funding partner of the
Syringe Access Fund,” said
Scott Campbell, EJAF’s Executive
Director. The lifting of this ban
does not guarantee increased funding
for syringe access and harm reduction
efforts, but it does give state
and local governments more flexibility
in their allocation of funding
for HIV prevention, and it may
herald a new focus and new investments
in evidence-based HIV prevention
efforts. Mr. Campbell stated, “To
realize the promise of this new
ability to fund evidence-based
HIV prevention, the Elton John
AIDS Foundation calls on the U.S.
government and specifically the
U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention to increase investments
in HIV prevention targeted to those
populations at greatest risk of
HIV, including injection drug users.”
EJAF also emphasizes the importance
of working with community-based
programs that already have decades
of experience helping people to
avoid HIV and other negative consequences
of injection drug use and addiction.
Mr. Campbell noted, “More
than 200 syringe access projects
across the U.S. have documented
good practice, and the CDC should
collect and endorse good practice
where it has been demonstrated.”
“This legislative victory
is the direct result of decades
of concerted research, support,
and advocacy on the part of a determined
group of nonprofit foundations
dedicated to the promotion of evidence-based
HIV prevention methods and to the
important task of reaching out
to marginalized populations most
at risk of HIV infection,” said
EJAF Founder and Chairman Sir Elton
John. “EJAF is proud to
be numbered in this group, and
we salute our fellow syringe exchange
advocacy organizations for all
of their hard work. We remain committed
to further investment in this effort,
and we look forward to working
with our partners, including the
Syringe Access Fund and the CDC,
to build on the legislation passed
this week.”
About EJAF
Established in 1992 by Sir Elton
John, the Elton John AIDS Foundation
(EJAF) is one of the world’s
leading nonprofit organizations
supporting of innovative HIV
prevention, stigma reduction,
and direct care and support programs
for people living with HIV/AIDS.
Since inception, the Foundation
has raised over $150 million
for worthy programs in 55 countries
around the world. EJAF works
in partnership with the National
AIDS Fund, Kaiser Family Foundation,
Ford Foundation, funding partners
of the Syringe Access Fund, funding
partners of the HIV Collaborative
Fund, amfAR, the Foundation for
AIDS Research, the Clinton HIV/AIDS
Initiative, and other grant-makers
to fund cutting-edge, community-centered
work. According to Funders Concerned
About AIDS, EJAF has developed
more collaborative funding partnerships
than any other organization evaluated
in their annual report on AIDS
philanthropy.
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