Activista, defensor de las personas con VIH/SIDA invitado a La Casa Blanca - Anuncio del Plan Estratégico Nacional sobre el VIH/SIDA

http://www.aids.gov/

Comunicado de prensa:

A todos los medios

Para publicación inmediata

Washington, DC

13 de julio 2010

Tema: Anuncio del Plan Estratégico Nacional sobre el VIH/SIDA, Persona Contacto :

Anselmo Fonseca 787-948-8890 / José Fernando Colón 787-525-5988

Donde: Casa Blanca

Hora: 2:00pm – 3:00pm

Quienes:

Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius,

Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services Dr. Howard Koh,

White House Domestic Policy Council Director Melody Barnes and

White House Director of the Office of National HIV/AIDS Policy Jeffrey Crowley

“Esperamos muchas cosas buenas ya que este “plan” fue creado con la verdadera participación activa de la comunidad infectada y afectada de 14 ciudades con mayor impacto en cuanto al contagio a esta condición. La comunidad VIH + ha estado y seguirá envuelta en cada etapa de la implementación y ejecución del mismo.”

Por primera vez hay empleados federales trabajando sin miedo de que su patrono se entere que es VIH+ por temor a rechazo, estigma y discriminación.

La eliminación de estos prejuicios es una de las metas de este plan tambien como acceso a fármacos que salvan y prolonga la vida de aquellos que vivimos con este mal.

“Este plan servirá de modelo para toda jurisdicción que se beneficie de los fondos Medicare, Medicaid y Ryan White.”

El Sr. Fonesca, co-fundador y presidente de Pacientes de SIDA pro Política Sana ha sido honrado con ser invitado al lanzamiento del “National HIV/AIDS Strategic Plan” de los EE.UU en representación de la Comunidad HIV+ de Puerto Rico.

De la misma manera las organizaciones de base comunitarias quienes históricamente han proveído servicios medicos y de apoyo a personas que viven con VIH/SIDA y su familia, son representadas ya que, cumple 11 anos de servicio en educar, apoyar, defender y abogar por los derechos humanos, civiles especialmente relacionado al VIH.

Fonesca también es miembro fundador de UDCAS- Unidos Dándole Cara Al SIDA una coalición de organizaciones locales y nacionales sin fines de lucro, fundaciones y miembros del sector privado unidos para canalizar esfuerzos y recursos a proveedores en necesidad de cumplimento al prójimo.

Anselmo a sus vez es miembro del “National Quality Center” sobre VIH/SIDA entidad que le responde a HRSA y su división de VIH/SIDA, educando y asesorando sobre como captar la participación y la data de servicios para garantizar mejorar de manera eficiente la máxima calidad de tratamiento y cuidado.

El Sr. Fonseca es miembro del “National Latinos AIDS Action Network- Leadership Committee” abogando por mejor y mayor acceso a servicios sobre el VIH/SIDA a todas las comunidades de Latinos y Hispana de manera equitativa en los EE.UU y su territorios.

Federal funds are endangered

http://www.prdailysun.com/news/Federal-funds-are-endangered

July 24, 2010 by Juan A. Hernandez jhernandez@prdailysun.net

If the bill to reorganize the several government advocate offices goes through, there would be “terrible consequences” to people over 60, Puerto Rico Advocate for the Elderly said Friday.
Rossana López León reiterated her opposition to the reorganization plan, calling it “an indisputable laceration to the rights of the elderly.”
According to López León, should the House Substitute bill to the 2010 Reorganization Plan No. 1 become law, there would be “terrible consequences” and “an indisputable laceration to the rights of the elderly.”
“Current state law delegates our office the authority to act as administrator and recipient of whatever federal funds and appropriations are allowed by this [Older American Act of 1965] and other federal laws and programs for the elderly,” said López León during the hearings of the Senate Government Committee
López León explained that the mandate is also contained in a contract between the Commonwealth and the federal government known as the “State Plan on Aging.”
“Any changes to this plan have to be submitted to the federal government for its approval before going into effect,” López León told the Committee.
The Advocate said she has consistently requested from the chairman of the Modernization Council –State Secretary Kenneth McClintock – any evidence of meetings with federal officials to discuss the proposed changes to this plan. Because no such evidence has been provided, the Advocate said she assumed the meetings have not taken place.
The proposed substitute bill, like the original one, calls for the merging of all advocacy offices into one umbrella-type agency under the authority of the Citizens’ Ombudsman.
López León noted that failure to comply with regulations in the past had led to the loss of several million dollars in federal funding that would have benefited Puerto Rico’s elderly.
“The severity in the breach of federal regulations by the Health Department and the Department of the Family led to the government’s classifying Puerto Rico being classified as a ‘high-risk agency’ by the federal government,” López León said.
Government Committee Chairman Sen. Carmelo Ríos admitted to having several doubts regarding the federal funds the agency now receives.
“We cannot lose federal funds. If anything, we should be looking for ways to get more,” Ríos said.
The Advocate also argued that the merging of the advocacy offices into the proposed suprastructure “eliminates the autonomy and independence of the advocates as specialists on different populations.”
“Also, there’s an insurmountable conflict because, while [the plan] states that the advocates will keep their power to protect the populations they serve, it also limits them to whatever the Citizens' Ombudsman decides.” The proposed substitute bill, like the original one, calls for the merging of all advocacy offices into one umbrella-type agency under the authority of the Citizens’ Ombudsman,” López León said.
Ríos said that his committee is in the process of hearing out every advocate to gather as much information as possible and then start a process to reconcile possible differences with the House and the governor, who may have different views on how the merger should take place.

Amador against merging advocates’ offices

http://www.prdailysun.com/news/Amador-against-merging-advocates-offices

July 23, 2010

by Juan A. Hernandez jhernandez@prdailysun.net

Puerto Rico Patients’ Advocate Luz Teresa Amador lambasted the House substitute bill for the Government Reorganization Plan Num. 1 – Advocates Offices because it represents “a clear setback” in the advances made in favor of the less privileged citizens and patients in general.

“[The proposed plan] represents a clear setback to avant garde laws adopted by previous administrations to protect the rights of the 3.8 million citizen-patients, which are closely related to their rights to life and health,” Amador said Thursday during a public hearing of the Senate’s Government Committee.

According to Amador, the proposed reorganization plan, which substitutes the Senate’s version, is “deficient, ineffective, discriminatory, contradictory and irrational … and extremely dangerous” to the 3.8 million potential patients her agency cares for.

Patients subscribing to the Government’s Health Plan would have to file their complaints before the contracted insurers first and appeal later to the Health Insurance Administration .

“This [reorganization] plan undermines the interests of the less privileged patients subscribed to the Government’s Health Plan because it forces them to file their complaints before the very same agencies that have failed to defend their rights,” Amador said.

Nevertheless, Amador did admit that a positive aspect of the plan is that it would allow the Advocate to monitor the State Insurance Fund Corporation and the Administration for Compensation for Traffic Accidents, something current regulations do not allow.

But, while the Advocate would have authority over these public corporations, for Amador the proposed plan further limits its jurisdiction by preventing it from monitoring and regulating private insurance companies, hospitals and doctors, thus leaving more than two million privately insured patients without any protection.

Amador also expressed her opposition to the possibility of developing single unified procedure to file complaints before all advocate offices.

“The level of efficiency we have reached through technology and an effective complaints filling process would be greatly upset by new regulations that extends the terms for investigating and solving the complaints,” Amador said.

“Imagine a patient that has filed a complaint appealing his discharge from the hospital because he considers he is still very ill. Or a cancer patient whose chemotherapy has been denied,” questioned Amador pointing to the complexity and seriousness of the complaints her office receives.

“It is not possible to create a uniform system for filing complaints due to the nature of the complaints each advocate office receives,” Amador argued.

The Patients Advocate also questioned how much money would be saved by reorganizing all of the advocates’ offices under a single umbrella-type of agency.

Quoting figures directly from the Puerto Rico Budget and Management Office, Amador said only $2.5 million would be saved in rent, should her office be fused together with other advocate offices.

“Should these minimal savings prevail over the devastating effects this plan would have on the lives and health of the people,” Amador questioned.

Amador, also a medical doctor, announced Thursday her decision to retire from the government after 30 years of service. She assured her decision was not based on her differences with the administration over the proposed reorganization plans, but rather the result of a “well planned process.”

“For more than six months I’ve been consulting with my family and friends about this and I’ve decided to retire … It is time to give the new generation the chance to continue with this work in favor of the less privileged,” she said.