San Francisco Designates $3 Million Additional to HIV Prevention Services in City Budget
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SAN FRANCISCO, May 26, 2022–Today, Mayor London N. Breed along with Supervisors Matt Dorsey and Rafael Mandelman announced a $3 million increase in HIV funding in the Mayor’s upcoming two-year budget for the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH). The funding will support community organizations providing HIV testing, prevention, and care services affected by the recent change in the allocation and distribution of HIV prevention funding by SFDPH, and will help to ensure that free HIV services provided to the community are not disrupted.
“San Francisco AIDS Foundation thanks Mayor London Breed and Supervisors Matt Dorsey, Rafael Mandelman, and Hillary Ronen for their support of HIV prevention services in San Francisco,” said Tyler TerMeer, PhD, CEO of San Francisco AIDS Foundation. “Thank you for listening to the needs of our communities, responding to the issues elevated by the HIV Advocacy Network and HIV/AIDS Providers Network, and working to ensure that everyone in this city is supported with the HIV prevention and care services that they need.”
This funding comes in response to local HIV community groups and community members, who have advocated in recent months for funding to prevent destabilization of the HIV safety net–ensuring that San Francisco does not lose progress on reducing HIV infections and ensuring that people living with HIV are quickly linked to care.
The HIV local budget request for San Francisco, advanced by SFAF’s HIV Advocacy Network (HAN), the HIV/AIDS Providers Network (HAPN), San Francisco HIV Planning Council, and Getting to Zero Consortium, included a $2-3 million request to maintain the HIV prevention safety net. Advocates from across the city showed up in support of the HIV funding at a May budget hearing with the Department of Public Health and the Board of Supervisors, and soon thereafter Supervisors Rafael Mandelman, Hillary Ronen, Matt Dorsey, Dean Preston, Gordon Mar, and Ahsha Safai introduced a resolution urging SFDPH to sustain funding for HIV and AIDS safety net services.
“Advocates and community members spoke up, took action, and made their voices heard,” said Ande Stone, senior community mobilization manager at SFAF. “This is a powerful example of how–when the community comes together–we can enact change that benefits all of us.”
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