By Chris Geidner on October 5, 2010
A big announcement today from the U.S. Department of State on the administration’s efforts to fight global disease, including HIV/AIDS:
As part of America’s leadership in saving lives and alleviating suffering around the world, the United States announced today that it intends to make an unprecedented three-year pledge of support to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The pledge is tied to the call for smart investments and shared responsibility to reach the goal of saving more lives efficiently and effectively.
The Obama Administration intends to seek $4 billion for the Fund for 2011 through 2013 to continue America’s strong support for this important multilateral partner. This pledge is a 38% increase in the U.S. investment over the preceding three-year period – a substantial increase especially in light of the overall budget challenges and the largest increase by far of any donor nation this year.
This historic pledge has three goals:
*To save more lives by driving needed reforms and ensuring smart, effective investments are being made: The Fund has demonstrated remarkable success over the past eight years in mobilizing and disbursing resources. We must build upon this success by driving needed reforms including better grants management; greater country-level collaboration to avoid duplication of efforts; closing gaps in services; reducing reporting burdens on host countries; better accountability for funds in grants to ensure proper use of scarce resources; and better monitoring and evaluation to ensure goals of grants are met. The U.S. calls upon the Global Fund Board to develop an action agenda in the near future that includes clear timelines and measures progress so all parties can be held accountable for clear action steps.
* To leverage other donor nations’ contributions in order to save more lives; increase life expectancies; and alleviate suffering: This commitment serves as a challenge to other donors. If other donors scale up their commitments at a similar rate, the Global Fund is expected to be able to proceed with new rounds of grants while continuing existing grants during 2011-2013.
* To continue to demonstrate U.S. leadership in the ultimate measurement of success – increasing the number of lives saved: The U.S. was the first and by far the largest contributor to the Fund, providing more than $5.1 billion to date. This pledge is part of a comprehensive approach to combating AIDS, TB, and malaria through President Obama’s Global Health Initiative (GHI), which supports coordinated interventions aimed at reducing lives lost from the three diseases and other health challenges.
With this U.S. commitment and scaled-up contributions from other donors, the Global Fund projects that it will be able to achieve the following results by 2015:
Following up, the office of Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) issued this response:
Washington, DC – Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today on the Obama Administration’s announced U.S. pledge to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The announcement of a $4 billion commitment over the next three years was made by U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Eric Goosby at the Global Fund pledging conference currently being held in New York:
“Since its creation in 2001, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has saved almost 5 million lives by supporting prevention, treatment, and care programs to combat these diseases. Projects in 144 countries are increasing access to antiretroviral therapy for people living with HIV, expanding treatment of TB and Malaria, distributing bed nets, supporting community-based prevention services, strengthening health systems and funding numerous other proven interventions. This progress not only improves lives, it also brings stability and economic growth to impoverished areas. These investments are working, and this progress must continue.
“As world leaders gather in New York to renew their pledges to the Fund, the U.S. must lead the way. President Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Ambassador Goosby are to be commended for their leadership in affirming a three-year commitment and increased resources to the Global Fund. I look forward to working with the Obama Administration and with my colleagues in Congress to ensure the strongest possible U.S. contribution to the Global Fund is appropriated every year.”
By John Riley on March 25, 2024 @JRileyMW
Pride flags are officially banned from flying above U.S. embassies.
The provision, part of a larger $1.2 trillion bipartisan spending bill to keep the government funded through September 30, was signed into law by President Biden on March 23.
Under the provision, no government funds may be used to fly or display any flag over any State Department facilities, unless that flag is the United States flag, a state or tribal government flag, an official agency flag, the POW/MIA flag, the Hostage and Wrongful Detainee flag, or -- as in the case of embassies -- the sovereign flag of other countries, reports NBC News.
By Ramsey Pfeffinger on March 24, 2024
The United States is now seeing over 200,000 syphilis cases annually, the highest figure since the 1950s.
Imagine the voice of Golden Girls’ Sophia Petrillo saying, “Picture it, United States 1951, I Love Lucy was kicking off its first season, super glue had just been invented, and there were 140,000 syphilis cases reported across the country.”
By 2000, however, decades of public health advocacy and medical advancements, such as the use of antibiotics in early treatment, had cut down cases to just 32,000 per year.
So, what happened? Why are the numbers worse now than they were 24 years ago?
By John Riley on March 28, 2024 @JRileyMW
Whitman-Walker has named Heather Aaron as CEO of Whitman-Walker Health System.
She succeeds interim CEO Cindy Lewin, who took over following the departure of Dr. Ryan Moran, who left in April 2023 to become Deputy Secretary of Health and Healthcare Finance for the State of Maryland under the administration of Democratic Governor Wes Moore.
In her new role, Aaron will oversee the Whitman-Walker Foundation, the Whitman-Walker Institute, and Whitman-Walker Health System Real Property Holdings, with an eye toward the preserving system's long-term sustainability.
Aaron will be tasked with pursuing innovative partnerships, exploring new revenue and fundraising models, overseeing Whitman-Walker's research and policy divisions, and carrying out business initiatives to ensure the health system can continue offering, and perhaps even expand, its existing services.
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