County AIDS Services Preserved Despite Cuts in U.S. Funding
In the midst of another gloomy budget season, Los Angeles County’s AIDS coordinator had some good news Tuesday: Despite a continuing financial crisis and $5 million in cutbacks in federal funding, services to those suffering from the HIV virus will not be decreased in the upcoming year.
John Schunhoff and other Department of Health Services officials told the Board of Supervisors at their weekly meeting that they have found savings and additional revenue to offset a $4.9-million cut in federal funding for county AIDS programs.
“We can piece together the funding to avoid the cuts,” Schunhoff said, to applause from AIDS activists.
Schunhoff said he hopes to receive about $1 million in unspent funds from a federal housing program for people with AIDS that is administered countywide by the city of Los Angeles. Another $700,000 is expected to come from savings from renegotiating contracts with home health care workers, and $300,000 more would come from grants and administrative cost reductions.
An additional $2.9 million is expected to come from restructuring of the health department budget, and would not come at the expense of any existing program, Schunhoff said. “Other health services will not suffer,” he added.
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