H.I.V. Patients Anxious as Support Programs Cut

August 1, 2007

By ERIK ECKHOLM / NYT

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. — In the golden hills of Marin County, it is hard to imagine that free food or emergency cab fares could matter much to anyone.

But for hundreds of people who were thrown into poverty by AIDS, like Wade Flores, 45, a former distributor for a chocolate company who lives alone and is getting sicker and weaker, recent cutbacks seem like a matter of life and death.

“These nonmedical services are what keep people like me alive,” Mr. Flores said.

Here and in many other cities, AIDS advocates say, changes in the distribution of federal assistance for indigent H.I.V. and AIDS patients are causing hardship and deep anxiety.

Congress rewrote the Ryan White Care Act in December in ways that expanded the regions eligible for money and allowed less assistance for support programs like meals and legal aid. Five new cities have joined the list of recipients, but without any increase in overall financing.

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