Bill Introduced for Early AIDS Virus Intervention

A bill to create a statewide program promoting early medical intervention against the AIDS-causing human immunodeficiency virus has been introduced by Assemblywoman Jackie Speier (D-South San Francisco).

The bill, AB 1600, would create a package of services--including clinical monitoring, psycho-social support and, when appropriate, medical treatment--for the up to 200,000 Californians infected with the virus but not yet sick.

Medical research has shown that the most common opportunistic infection associated with AIDS, pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, can be prevented with the administration of a drug known as aerosolized pentamidine.

There is also hope that early use of the antiviral drug AZT can delay or prevent full-blown AIDS in those infected with the virus. Moreover, new antiviral drugs are being tested and should be available by next year.

“This bill reflects the cutting edge of the health profession’s response to the epidemic,” said Speier at a press conference in San Francisco on Thursday. “By treating HIV infection as a chronic, manageable condition, we can help minimize the tragedy of AIDS.”

Speier estimated that the program would require new state outlays of about $6.5 million in the first year, with additional funding coming from private insurers, the federal government and the state Medi-Cal program. She said the cost of the services would range from $2,000 to $12,500 per infected individual, depending on the level of damage to their immune systems.

“This is a minor expense that will result in huge savings downstream,” said Dr. Donald Francis, a U.S. Centers for Disease Control AIDS specialist who is working with the state Department of Health Services. He said the savings would result from shorter and less frequent hospitalizations.

“We are now in a very new era of AIDS, both in terms of prevention and care,” Francis added.

“We have a window of opportunity,” added Dr. George Rutherford of the San Francisco Health Department. “The time to act is now.”

The bill would extend to the rest of the state a pilot program of six early intervention centers created by legislation carried by Assembly Speaker Willie Brown Jr. (D-San Francisco) last year. The existing centers provide fewer services than envisioned by Speier’s bill.

The Speier bill is one of the top legislative priorities this year of the LIFE AIDS Lobby, which is funded by AIDS organizations throughout the state.

“We are dealing with an extraordinarily tight budget situation this year,” acknowledged Rand Martin, the group’s executive director. As a result, he said, the bill was designed to minimize the state’s financial contribution to the program.