[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 68 (Friday, May 20, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1047]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       NATIONAL ASIAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER HIV/AIDS AWARENESS DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. JANICE D. SCHAKOWSKY

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 19, 2005

  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I would like to draw attention to the 
first annual National Asian and Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day 
today, May 19, 2005. This day seeks to raise awareness among Asian 
Americans and Pacific Islanders about the devastating impact of HIV/
AIDS on their community and to highlight AIDS prevention and treatment 
opportunities.
  AIDS has claimed the lives of over 20 million people worldwide since 
it was first diagnosed in 1981, and the numbers continue to grow at an 
alarming rate. An estimated 5,500 of 750,000 Americans who face the 
perils of AIDS today are Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, but 
with the fastest-growing racial/ethnic population in the nation, this 
number is increasing at a staggering rate. According to the Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the number of AA/PIs living with 
AIDS has increased 10 percent annually over the past five years.
  Many Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders living with HIV/AIDS too 
often do not take the steps necessary to prevent and combat the disease 
due to cultural stigmas around issues of sex, sexuality, and drug use. 
Other obstacles include the fact that nearly 40 percent of AA/PIs have 
limited English proficiency and 13 percent live below the federal 
poverty line. Nearly one in five are uninsured, and many others lack 
adequate health insurance. That is why this day is immensely important 
in communicating the facts and preventative practices regarding HIV/
AIDS. With increased national awareness and improved communication, 
HIV/AIDS information will become more widely available and more 
effective in crossing the social, linguistic, and economic barriers 
this population faces.
  It is also critically important that we expand the budgets of the 
CDC, especially the Office of Minority Health and the National 
Institutes of Health, and reauthorize the Ryan White CARE Act to ensure 
that HIV/AIDS is addressed seriously and with adequate resources. Asian 
Americans and Pacific Islanders face a serious health threat, and they 
are just one segment of the American population which battles this 
deadly disease on a daily basis. Our financial support is critical in 
providing information, medicine, care, and ultimately a cure for this 
debilitating disease.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in acknowledging the 
first National Asian and Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day and 
working to enact healthcare solutions to the HIV/AIDS crisis.

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