From: MPetrelis@aol.com Date: Fri, 19 May 2000 16:12:45 EDT Subject: AIDS junket in Virgin Islands denounced by ACT UP For Immediate Release May 19, 2000 Contacts: Michael Petrelis, 415-621-6267 Wayne Turner, 202-547-9404 AIDS JUNKET TO U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS FUNDED BY TAXPAYERS; ACTIVISTS SLAM 'FUN-IN-THE-SUN' GREED OF AIDS EXECUTIVES Washington, DC - An AIDS conference to be held June 1-4 at the Marriott Frenchman's Reef Resort in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, has been condemned by activists angry that attendees will be spending Ryan White CARE Act dollars allocated for treatment services for AIDS patients on travel and luxurious lodging expenses. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an arm of Health and Human Services, manages more than $1 billion appropriated for Ryan White programs. Dr. Joseph O'Neill, director of HRSA's HIV/AIDS Bureau is a keynote speaker at the Approaches to the Treatment of HIV Disease in Internationally Resource Poor Settings. O'Neill has reportedly sent a letter to Ryan White funded AIDS agencies encouraging them to attend and use grant money to pay for the trip. The federal strategist for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, Ernest C. Hopkins, forcefully defended the conference in an email wide circulated on the Internet. "Rather than see the trip to the Virgin Islands through the prism of those junkets that physicians and politicians take on a regular basis to resorts in tropical locations - I think [we] should view the trip as an opportunity to see what health care delivery really looks like on the ground in a developing area," Hopkins wrote. "The indigenous population is significantly underserved with high quality HIV-related health care . . . [and there are] disproportionate HIV infection and AIDS rates in the Virgin Islands." Such reasoning was denounced by Wayne Turner, a spokesperson for ACT UP Washington, DC. "While $2.2 million in Ryan White funding for Puerto Rico was funneled into political campaigns and luxury automobiles for bureaucrats, and fraud investigations continue, HRSA turned a blind eye to the problem," Turner said. "While AIDS executives and HRSA relax on the beaches of St. Thomas, greasing the wheels of the AIDS gravy train, people with AIDS are jeopardized without adequate medication, food and housing. We demand Congressional accountability so that public AIDS funds actually pay for patient services." Attention on the conference comes the same week IRS 990 tax returns for the SF AIDS Foundation for FY 1998 were posted on the group's web site, showing executive director Patricia Christen made $201,320. "The AIDS groups always have enough money to pay six-figure salaries and pass off 'conferences' as vital exchanges of information, thanks to taxpayer largess, and we want such avarice to end," said Turner. A spokesperson for the www.AIDS-Statistics.com web site, Michael Petrelis, noted the number of AIDS cases in the Virgin Islands is declining. "According to the latest yearly AIDS epidemiological survey from the Centers for Disease Control there were 98 new AIDS cases in 1997 and 35 new AIDS cases during 1998," he said. "Too bad the conference isn't about AIDS caseloads decreasing, while AIDS executive salaries skyrocket to new heights." The Ryan White CARE Act must pass reauthorization this year and programs funded through HRSA are supposed to only provide essential direct health care and related services to low-income AIDS patients. Lobbyists for AIDS service organizations have vigorously opposed proposals by activists to rein in abuses of federal AIDS funds. Activists want increased oversight, salary caps, and random audits of service providers. # # # Michael Petrelis Welcome to AIDS-STATISTICS www.AIDS-statistics.com 2215-R Market Street, #413 San Francisco, CA 94114 ================================================================================ From: Actupdc@aol.com Date: Fri, 19 May 2000 12:33:03 EDT Subject: AIDS activists denounce junket for immediate release 5/19/00 contact: Wayne Turner ACT UP Washington, DC (202) 547-9404 www.actupdc.org ACTIVISTS DENOUNCE AIDS 'CONFERENCE' IN RESORT TOWN: FEDERALLY FUNDED FUN-IN-THE-SUN LEAVES AIDS PATIENTS OUT IN THE COLD Washington, DC -- Responding to concerns raised by AIDS activists, members of the US House of Representatives Commerce Committee are investigating an AIDS 'conference' to be held at a Caribbean island resort next month, using US taxpayer dollars earmarked for the treatment and care of poor people living with HIV and AIDS. The invitation-only 'Clinical Update Conference', convened by the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA), a federal agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, will be held in the US Virgin Island of St. Thomas from June 1 - June 4 at the Marriott Frenchman's Reef Resort. Invitees have reportedly been encouraged by HRSA official Dr. Joseph O'Neill to attend using Ryan White CARE Act funds. "While bureaucrats plan their weekend junket on the beaches of St. Thomas, people with AIDS continue to suffer without adequate medication, food, and housing." states Wayne Turner, spokesperson for ACT UP/DC. "We demand accountability, so that AIDS funds actually pay for patient services. This is an epidemic, and yet they're greasing the wheels of the AIDS gravy train with sun tan oil." The CARE Act, up for re-authorization this year, is supposed to provide health care and related services to low-income HIV/AIDS patients. A General Accounting Office audit released earlier this year revealed vast funding inequities, inflated salaries over $200,000 for some AIDS executives, substandard HIV/AIDS care for women, African Americans, and Hispanics, and several instances of fraud and embezzlement. Lobbyists for the AIDS Service industry have vigorously opposed proposals by activists to curb abuses of federal AIDS funding, including salary caps, increased oversight, and random audits of service providers. for more information, please visit our website at www.actupdc.org, and www.aids-statistics.com for state/territory epidemological reports For HRSA events: www.hrsa.dhhs.gov/Newsroom/calendar.htm