NEWARK-Today, U.S. Senators Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) announced more than $2.2 million in federal funds for New Jersey families impacted by HIV/AIDS. This funding,through the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, will help low-income New Jersey families pay for primary health servicesrelated to HIV/AIDS.
"This federal funding is crucial for thousands of New Jersey families facing overwhelming health care costs related to HIVandAIDS,"said Senator Lautenberg,a member of the Appropriations Committee, which funds this program."I was proud to help makethe Ryan White CARE Act a realityand will continue fighting toensure that this critical public health funding is available to families that need access to care."
"With a reported 35,000 New Jerseyans living with HIV or AIDS, this funding is critical to help our State implement effective treatment and prevention programs," said Senator Menendez. "It's a public health imperative that we see these numbers decrease instead of increase, as statistics tend to do. I believe that can be achieved in our lifetime, which is why I have worked in the Senate to ensure that funding is available to make investments such as this."
Lautenberg was an original cosponsor of the TheRyan White CARE Act, whichis the largest source of federal funding dedicated to HIV/AIDS care.This bill was passedby Congress in 1990 and re-authorized four times since, most recently in 2009. The programis named for Ryan White, an Indiana teenager that was diagnosed with AIDS in 1984 and died in 1990, only months before the legislation was passed.
This grant is funded through Part D of the Ryan White program, which provides primary medical care and support services,including counseling and transportation services,for women, infants, and children affected by HIV/AIDS.
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