Transcript

World AIDS Day: December 1, 2007

Hello I'm Dr. Elizabeth Duke, the Administrator for the Health Resources and Services Administration.

December 1 is World AIDS Day. We set aside this time each year to remember those we have lost to this devastating disease. And we at HRSA recommit ourselves to work even harder to ensure that HIV patients have the high-quality care they need to live longer, healthier lives.

Each year, HRSA 's Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program provides primary health care, support services and life-saving medications for more than a half-million low-income, uninsured and underinsured people.

Since 1990, working in partnership with communities nationwide, we have made great progress. Today, infants are born HIV-free. Life-saving medications make it possible to prolong lives. And many people who faced a death sentence just 10 years ago can now hope for a brighter future.

Our AIDS Drug Assistance Program is the fastest growing component of all Ryan White programs. With this effort, we help states provide medications to individuals who cannot afford them. In fact, one in four people on drug therapy receive their medications through HRSA's AIDS Drug Assistance Program.

We are also doing a better job of reaching minorities. More than 72 percent of our Ryan White patients are minority Americans. They have higher rates of HIV infection and experience greater barriers in accessing care.

We are proud of what we are accomplishing together with our many partners, but we must do more. In this third decade of fighting AIDS, we must continue our work to improve the lives of those affected by this epidemic.

You can learn more about HRSA 's Ryan White HIV/AIDS programs at www.hrsa.gov.