About AIDS
By Sandy Bartlett, Fri., Sept. 27, 2002
County's Shortsightedness Will Prove Expensive
One can't help but feel for elected officials as they grapple with the budget challenges of a post-dot-com, post-Bush-tax-cut environment. However, the Travis County commissioners' recent decision to not continue a modest supplemental appropriation for human services was a mistake that may be very expensive down the line.
Even in the final frenzy of the dot-com bubble, demand for basic assistance -- food, rent, utilities, prescription co-pays -- was swelling. Average working people did not benefit much from the tech sector's irrationally exuberant prosperity. But for the marginally employed, the sick and disabled, and the unemployed, the gap between income and boomtown cost of living was wreaking havoc. Even before last fall, ASA already was being called on to meet increased needs among people with AIDS. Following 9/11, things got even worse: our food bank demand, a reliable indicator, rose dramatically, and has stayed there.
Managing HIV disease depends on access and absolute adherence to treatment, along with solid nutrition, rest, exercise, and stress avoidance. Without these in place, HIV-infected people tend to get sick and wind up in the hospital. That's when this disease gets really, really expensive. For someone without food, housing, or utilities, the likelihood of effectively negotiating the staying-well tightrope is slim.
Travis County's withdrawal of this $500,000 item, small in the overall budget picture, may well result in very large medical bills in the near to intermediate future. Citizens should call upon the commissioners to understand the shortsighted nature of their decision. The financial cost to taxpayers, and the cost in suffering by people with AIDS, can be better kept in check by maintaining the safety net for basic human needs.
