Harvard study on HIV/AIDS in Arkansas to be released to public health lawmakers

The Arkansas HIV Community Advocates (AHCA) have scheduled a press conference to be held on Tuesday, April 20, 2010 at noon to announce the findings of the Arkansas State Healthcare Access Research Project (SHARP) Report. The press conference will be held at the State Capitol in the Rotunda immediately before AHCA makes their presentation to the Joint Public Health Committee of the Arkansas Legislature.

The purpose of the press conference is to:

• Release the Arkansas State Healthcare Access Research Project or (SHARP) Report
• Release the AR HIV/AIDS Minority Taskforce’s Recommendations for reducing HIV/AIDS in Arkansas’s minority populations
• Demonstrate a solidarity of advocates across the state that are united to fight HIV/AIDS and advocate for increased legislative support  in addressing this preventable disease

The Arkansas SHARP Report is an analysis of the successes, challenges, and opportunities for improving healthcare access that is prepared by the Health Law and Policy Clinic of Harvard Law School in collaboration with state community partners. It is the hope and intention of the AHCA that the report will become the framework for future efforts to expand healthcare access—tools that can be used as part of a broader strategy to ensure that the more than 5,700 Arkansans living with HIV/AIDS have access to quality healthcare.

Rick Collins, Chair of the Arkansas HIV/AIDS Minority Task Force and a founding member of AHCA, added, “Poverty is not specifically a healthcare access challenge in this report. Poverty simply underlies virtually all of the other challenges discussed, and is a major barrier to both HIV prevention and care. As one Delta-area provider put it, ‘when you have no roof over your head, no food, and hungry children to worry about, HIV is not necessarily your biggest priority.’

About the Arkansas HIV Community Advocates

Arkansas HIV Community Advocates (AHCA) is a broad-based coalition working to improve access to HIV prevention, education, care, and services throughout Arkansas. AHCA members include Arkansans living with HIV/AIDS, and representatives from numerous community-based organizations, as well as from the Arkansas Department of Health, Arkansas Minority Health Commission, Arkansas HIV/AIDS Minority Task Force, HIV/AIDS Consumer Advisory Board, and Arkansas Public Policy Panel.

A reception will immediately follow the press conference in room 207.