Tis the Budget Season So Let’s Get Busy
HIV service providers, people living with HIV, legislators, and community members filled the Grand Staircase at the State House on Thursday, January 28th to rally support for the funding of critical HIV/AIDS health services and prevention and education programs. The state budget proposed by Governor Patrick on January 27th for the 2011 fiscal year maintained the $35.4 million funding for HIV/AIDS programs, but as State Representatives Carl Sciortino and Gloria Fox (who emplored “Tis the budget season, so let’s get busy!”) and State Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz reminded us, 2010 is one of the toughest budget seasons our community and the state have faced, and this is no time for complacency.
And the atmosphere at the State House was anything but complacent. HIV/AIDS program leaders from Roxbury, Cambridge, Springfield, and the South Shore traveled to the State House to speak up for their families’ and their communities’ health. Nellie Kuilan, Supervisor for La Voz Program, an HIV/AIDS counseling and testing branch of Tapestry Health, presented in Spanish and English. As Nellie introduced herself in Spanish I realized it was the first time I had ever heard a community member present in a language other than English in the State House. Her voice represented not only the Springfield community, but all non-English speaking residents of Massachusetts in need of HIV/AIDS care.
But those of us in the audience did not come to the State House just to listen, we came to educate. As the legislators reminded us, we are the experts, and it is our responsibility to educate our leaders about why HIV/AIDS funding is critical in order to serve everyone’s basic health needs. As I chatted with my coworker Alyson from Cambridge who was off to visit her Senator I remembered Representative Carl Sciortino’s closing words, “I’m glad you are here to have my back, and know that I have your back as well.” As we enter this new budget year it is uplifting to know we have some legislative support. In return, we must continue to be there for those legislators who “have our backs” and understand our program needs. We will not be complacent about the budget this year.
See more photos from the day on Facebook.