AHF, Baton Rouge Reach Agreement over AIDS Funding Dispute
Legal settlement keeps funding for other HIV/AIDS organizations
unchanged and establishes that AHF—which cares for over 1,500 HIV/AIDS
patients at its two Baton Rouge area clinics—can and should receive
funding for outpatient care. Baton Rouge ranked first in the nation for
estimated HIV and AIDS case rates per 100,000 people, according to the
CDC.
BATON ROUGE, La.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–AIDS
Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has reached an agreement with the
City-Parish of Baton Rouge, Louisiana to settle a lawsuit in which AHF
claimed Baton Rouge unlawfully and arbitrarily discriminated in awarding
contracts for some AIDS services. After AHF initiated the lawsuit on
March 23rd, the City-Parish of Baton Rouge suspended
distribution of ALL federal Ryan
White CARE Act funding to organizations in the Baton Rouge area, an
action that caused outrage in the HIV/AIDS community. The parties
involved have now agreed to a mutually beneficial resolution of the
lawsuit.
The settlement agreement, reached earlier today, keeps the funding of
other HIV/AIDS organizations unchanged and establishes that AHF—which
cares for over 1,500 HIV/AIDS patients at its two Baton Rouge health
care centers—is recognized as a qualified medical provider that can and
should receive Ryan White funding for its outpatient care. The funding
amounts other HIV/AIDS organizations received also remains unchanged.
“I am pleased to announce that we have reached a settlement agreement
with Baton Rouge. As the organization that cares for the largest number
of HIV/AIDS patients in the city, our goal in this action was to be
recognized as a primary care provider and that was accomplished—never
was our intention to withhold funding from other HIV/AIDS groups,” said Michael
Weinstein, President of AIDS Healthcare Foundation. “This settlement
provides a mutually beneficial resolution, one similar to what we had
initially sought when we first approached Baton Rouge officials. For a
relatively small city, Baton Rouge continues to have an enormous unmet
need for HIV/AIDS care and services. We are eager now to get back to
what we do best: provide medical care and services to people living with
HIV or AIDS regardless of their ability to pay.”
According to the CDC’s 2014
HIV Surveillance Report, Baton Rouge ranked first in the nation for
estimated HIV and AIDS case rates per 100,000 people.
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS
organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to over
608,000 individuals in 36 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin
America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region and Eastern Europe. To learn
more about AHF, please visit our website: www.aidshealth.org,
find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/aidshealth
and follow us on Twitter: @aidshealthcare
and Instagram: @aidshealthcare
Contacts
AHF
Ged Kenslea, Senior Director, Communications
+1-323-308-1833
work
+1-323-791-5526 mobile
gedk@aidshealth.org
or
Imara
Canady, Regional Director, Communications and Community Engagement,
AHF Southern Bureau
+1-404-870-7789 work
+1-954-952-0258 mobile
imara.canady@aidshealth.org
