[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 76 (Tuesday, June 5, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1017]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    RECOGNIZING THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FIRST DIAGNOSED CASE OF 
               ACQUIRED IMMUNE DEFICIENCY SYNDROME (AIDS)

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DIANA DeGETTE

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 5, 2001

  Ms. DeGETTE. Mr. Speaker, today I recognize the 20th anniversary of 
the first diagnosed case of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) 
in the United States. The past twenty years have heralded many medical 
advances, especially in drug treatment therapies for AIDS patients. 
However, despite an increased understanding of the disease and an 
improved quality of care for patients, more than 438,000 people have 
died from the disease since the early 1980s in the United States alone.
  Efforts towards prevention and education have helped decrease the 
magnitude of the epidemic, however there are currently more than 
750,000 people living with AIDS in the U.S. Among new infections, the 
fastest growing segment is women and children. In fact, national 
statistics indicate that AIDS is the seventh leading cause of death 
among youths between the ages of fifteen and twenty-four. Surveys also 
indicate that approximately 87 percent of young Americans do not 
believe that they are at risk for contracting HIV. A growing number of 
cases of infection in youths clearly demonstrates a need for a greater 
emphasis on education, and prevention. While the AIDS scare of the late 
1980s and the early 1990s appears to be over, the persistence of this 
insidious disease is not. Complacency about this disease and its reach 
must not be allowed to grow.
  Among the federal government's programs and legislation addressing 
the issue of AIDS, one of the most effective is the Ryan White Care 
Act, which was signed into law in 1990 and reauthorized in 2000. The 
ultimate goal of this act is to improve health care and make it more 
accessible to patients and their families. In order to achieve this, 
the Ryan White Care Act provides funding to states as well as nonprofit 
organizations that develop and organize the distribution of necessary 
health care and services to patients and their families.
  This act has been helpful to residents with HIV/AIDS in my home state 
of Colorado, where there were 6,761 reported cases of AIDS in 1999. 
During the 2000 Fiscal Year, the state of Colorado qualified for over 
$4 million under Title I of the Ryan White Care Act, which provided 
funding to improve health care in metropolitan areas disproportionately 
affected by the HIV epidemic. Title IV appropriated over $600 K in 
additional dollars to fund programs focusing on women, infants, 
children, and youth in Colorado.
  This funding has been put to good use in Colorado, as it has not only 
helped children receive better care, but has also improved their access 
to necessary treatment. Considering that children are one of the 
fastest growing groups affected by AIDS, we must do all we can to stem 
the tide of its growth. We must continue to support measures that 
insure all patients receive adequate care, and continue our efforts to 
protect and educate our youth, since they are the future.

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