[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 16296]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   RECOGNITION OF WORLD AIDS DAY 2014

  (Ms. JACKSON LEE asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, today is World AIDS Day, and I am very 
pleased to come from a city where so many celebrated and commemorated 
the progress and challenges involved.
  I want to thank the Thomas Street clinic. I have visited there and 
seen the treatment that is given. As well, I thank the AIDS Foundation, 
which has always been on the front lines providing information and 
resources. I also want to thank the Montrose Clinic.
  World AIDS Day, started in 1988, is an enormously important day. I 
remember being here as a civilian in the United States Senate when the 
Ryan White Act was introduced by Senator Kennedy and the distinguished 
Senator from Utah.
  So we are here today to say we have not done all that we need to do. 
PEPFAR has cared for millions around the world through the work that we 
have done here in the United States Congress. Deaths have declined, but 
yet HIV/AIDS and transmission from mothers to infants still exists. It 
is important to continue the work. We should not ignore the success or 
challenges.
  I am very glad to work with organizations in my district, and I hope 
that funding in the omnibus or the appropriations process is not 
diminished in fighting to eliminate HIV/AIDS in our lifetime. I thank 
all of those who have sacrificed and lost their lives.
  Mr. Speaker, World AIDS Day affords us an opportunity to reflect on 
our progress in fight against the global AIDS pandemic and to 
rededicate ourselves to ending the disease once and for all.
  We have come a long way since the first World AIDS Day in 1988 by 
dramatically expanding investments in HIV/AIDS prevention, care, 
treatment, and research.
  Strong advocacy has paved the way for the Ryan White Act, the Housing 
Opportunities for People with AIDS Initiative, growing investments in 
NIH research, and an end to the ban on federal funds for syringe 
exchange.
  Beyond our borders, our efforts have extended care to millions in the 
developing world, through increased resources for PEPFAR and the Global 
Fund.
  Our investments have saved lives--preventing millions of new HIV 
cases, expanding access to improved treatments, and enabling medical 
advances that help HIV/AIDS patients live longer and healthier.
  Here and across the globe, AIDS deaths are on the decline, and 
studies are pointing the way to new approaches to limit the spread of 
the disease, with treatment as prevention.
  While our efforts have grown, we still only reach half of all people 
eligible for HIV treatment; and more must be done.
  Working together, we must continue to strengthen--not weaken--our 
national and international efforts to combat AIDS and other infectious 
diseases.
  We must work to achieve the Obama Administration's goal of an AIDS-
free generation.
  We must honor the memory of those we have lost and act on our hope, 
optimism, and determination to end the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
  We must continue to work with programs and clinics, like the Harris 
County Hospital District (HCHD), who are treating and caring for 
patients with HIV/AIDS.
  In 1989, HCHD opened Thomas Street Health Center, the first free-
standing facility dedicated to outpatient HIV/AIDS care in the nation. 
The center has become the cornerstone of all HIV/AIDS care available to 
Harris County residents.
  The Thomas Street Health Center has dedicated their services to about 
25 percent of Harris County's HIV/AIDS.
  Annually, the health center, along with HCHD, serves 4,463 unique 
patients for about 37,000 patients' visits.
  We will continue to fight a tough fight against HIV and AIDS. We will 
continue to strengthen and support centers like Thomas Street Health 
Center who work diligently with HIV/AIDS patients.
  Our focus on HIV/AIDS prevention and awareness will be to ensure all 
of our friends, relatives and children live healthy and full lives.

                          ____________________