For Immediate Release

November 2, 2004

NEW JERSEY MUST ACT TO STOP SPREAD OF AIDS

By Senator Nia H. Gill

As a matter of moral conscience, to improve the health of New Jersey 's residents, to protect our children and families, our state must do more to combat the epidemic of AIDS in our communities. And we can.

•  New Jersey has the third highest rate of HIV/AIDS infection among children in the nation – more than 7 of every 10 of those children are African-American.

•  New Jersey has the highest rate of HIV/AIDS infection among women in the country – nearly two out of three of those women are African-American.

•  These are statistics. But they mean that 31,432 of our residents have died and left 22,000 of our children orphaned. At least 900 children have died.

Unfortunately, because of the number of people who are infected with HIV or AIDS or have died from AIDS in New Jersey is so great, we are able to calculate a myriad of statistics.

I have tried to concentrate on just a couple of statistics.

Two children have died in New Jersey each and every week for the past 10 years because of AIDS and HIV-related illnesses.

New Jersey has many children.

We have none to spare.

Going forward, we can save many of our children.

What is necessary to save our children and thousands of other men and women – particularly women, is for the state Legislature to take what are clearly needed steps to slow the spread of AIDS and HIV-related diseases.

We can do that.

Statistics don't tell the human story of the impact of the AIDS epidemic. Statistics do, however, draw a map for how we can combat the epidemic. Scientists believe that cases of HIV reported among those 13 to 24-year-old are indicative of overall trends in HIV incidence. Because this group has most recently initiated high-risk behaviors – and because young women in this age group -- Africa-American and Hispanic women account for three-fourths of HIV infections -- our efforts must be concentrated at these young people.

•  We must allow all communities that wish to enact clean-needle programs to have the legal foundation to do so.

•  New Jersey must provide for additional drug treatment and mental health services and we must reach into the community to help those who need the treatment.

•  We must increase the emphasis and effort for prevention and treatment services for young women and women of color. Prevention programs need to be comprehensive. They must include women of all generations and need to include parents and the educational system. We must reach even further to community-based programs that reach out-of-school young people in youth detention centers and shelters for runaways.

•  We must address the intersection of drug use and HIV transmission. One way to do this is to develop and make widely available female-controlled prevention methods.

•  Since most children infected with HIV don't know that they are infected, they don't receive proper medical care even when it's available. We need to identify new infections early and provide easy access to HIV testing.

•  We must increase affordable housing. Often our orphaned children are left without adequate places to live and are forced to fend for themselves. We need to develop a state-wide network of support services for children orphaned by AIDS.

Those who are afflicted with AIDS and HIV are often forgotten or neglected in our political and governmental process.

The two children who will die this week from AIDS and HIV do not give money to political campaigns.

They are not represented by a high-powered State Street lobbyist.

Those two children have never done drugs.

They have never committed a crime.

They, however, sadly will die this week.

As a state we have the moral obligation to help save the children of our communities.

Senator Nia H. Gill represents the 34th Legislative District which includes Montclair, Glen Ridge, East Orange, Clifton and West Paterson .