ADAP drug program waiting list gets relief

ADAP drug program waiting list gets relief

ADAPWaitListAbstr_529396102.jpgThere may be relief in sight for the thousands of individuals currently on the AIDS Drug Assistance Plan (ADAP) waiting lists. The Obama administration’s re-allocation of $25 million is intended to diminish the number of people waiting for eligibility to receive HIV/AIDS drugs. Florida has the second-largest waiting list in the country, with 523 individuals, second only to North Carolina.
 
“Florida is getting some of the money,” said Lorraine Langlois, executive director of Metro Wellness and Community Center in St. Petersburg.

Metro is the fourth largest AIDS service organization in Florida.

“We’re hoping with this new AIDS strategy there will be something a little different to take care of ADAP until health care reform kicks in,” she added.

The list of viable drugs will stay the same.

“The state of Florida will be reviewing it, probably in September, to see where we are at that point,” Langlois said.

While the allocation is good news, some are concerned that it’s a temporary fix but not a solution.

“This waiting list crisis is not new and it will continue to worsen if we don’t address the issues at its root,” said Paul Kawata, Executive Director of the National Minority AIDS Council. “If we fail to allocate the necessary resources to deal with this challenge once and for all, we will continue to fall short of helping the very people who need it most.”

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