Supervisors Ask Probe of Unspent AIDS Funds

Prodded by complaints from the Los Angeles County Commission on AIDS, the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday called for an investigation into why the Department of Health Services has failed to spend about $1.5 million that had been earmarked to help dying AIDS patients.

The money, approved by the board last July, is designed to provide home and hospice care for AIDS victims as part of a program of alternative health care for those suffering from the acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

But in a rare mixture of public emotion and political anger, the AIDS commission last week admonished county health officials for months of delay and urged supervisors to speed up the expenditure of the AIDS funds.

Board Chairman Mike Antonovich on Tuesday joined in accusing the health department of “foot-dragging” and asked fellow supervisors to vote next week to investigate the reasons behind the failure to spend the money.

“To me, that’s absurd, and there needs to be accountability in that department,” Antonovich said.

Supervisor Deane Dana added that it remains unclear whether county health officials are to blame, but he backed his colleague’s proposal.

“We need some answers. We approved this money some time ago. If they aren’t spending this money, we need to know why,” Dana said.

Some county officials attributed the long delay to complex county requirements that they claim have slowed the selection of outside health contractors. They also said they are awaiting a study, not due until February, that will show the county what kinds of alternative care are needed most.

Health Services Director Robert Gates, however, called the commission’s concerns “well-founded” and admitted Tuesday that none of the $1.5 million has probably been spent.

“I am at this point looking into the situation to see what already has been done and what planning can be done to expedite this matter,” Gates said.

The concern about the unspent money arose Friday when the AIDS commission formally admonished health officials. The commissioners, who are appointed by supervisors, acted after an emotional meeting that included testimony from dying patients pleading to be able to spend their final days at home or in facilities where loved ones can be with them.

The commission said the $1.5 million can be spent on more hospices and on day-care facilities to ease the burden of families with AIDS patients. The funds also could be used to pay for home nursing, as well as for home attendants for those who are not extremely ill.

There were 192 new AIDS cases reported in the county during October, a sharp jump over the 129 reported in September, raising the countywide total to 3,869.