09/21/10 Rally Sunday Protesting Budget Cuts to HIV/AIDS Services        There will be a rally at the beginning of the 25th Annual Walk for Life this Sunday, September 26, 2010 on the Rhode Island State House lawn.  The rally begins at 10 a.m.   The rally is planned to help prevent state budget cuts that severely impact programs that care for people with HIV/ AIDS in Rhode Island. The Governor’s budget reduced state support for the AIDS Program from $2.4 million in FY 2010 to zero for FY 2011. In the months that followed, the HIV community was assured that those programs that keep Rhode Islanders with HIV healthy -- in medical care and on HIV medications – would be supported in a revised budget.  To our dismay, we were told on August 30th that the State budget included only $700,000 in funding, resulting in a $3.4 million deficit in the projected FY 2011 AIDS Program budget. This projected shortfall in funding means the loss of HIV medication funding, and the greatly reduced funding for HIV case management and support services -- potentially the end of AIDS Project RI (a division of Family Service of RI) and other AIDS Service Organizations in RI. The Walk will begin at the Rhode Island State House and cover much of Downtown Providence as well as the East Side. There will also be a shorter route designed for walkers who might struggle to complete the full distance of the walk (approximately 6K).       “We hope to make this year’s walk the largest and best publicized in our storied history. With the pending cuts to services for people with HIV/AIDS in RI, we need to make sure that everyone in Rhode Island knows that the AIDS crisis is not over,” said APRI Executive Director Stephen Hourahan. As part of this 25th Anniversary Walk for Life, AIDS Project Rhode Island will launch a new campaign to encourage Rhode Islanders to take a free and confidential HIV test.  Voluntary tests will be offered on the day of the walk.  “This is perhaps the most important strategy we can use in the fight against AIDS,” said Hourahan. “Research has shown that patients who are unaware they are positive and are not being treated, are also more likely to transmit HIV in the community. Testing will give us a clear idea of the scale of the battle we face and enable organizations like ours to best serve those in need.” Hourahan continued. We need support more than ever this year.  Registration for the 2010 Walk for Life is now open and APRI encourages Southern New Englanders from all walks of life to join them.  Teams and individual walkers may register online by visiting www.firstgiving.com/aidswalkri  ######