Washington D.C. AIDS Crisis Hurt by Mismanaged Nonprofit Organizations

While scientists have made great progress developing new treatments for HIV/AIDS patients, and indeed while a variety of federal and state programs provide a great amount of care for HIV/AIDS patients, it is a bitter irony that the one of the hardest areas of the AIDS epidemic is our nation's capitol. With a 3% HIV/AIDS rate among its populace, Washington D.C.'s prevalence of HIV infection is higher than West Africa, and much higher than the one percent national HIV/AIDS prevalence for the United States.

The reason why the epidemic has been so high in Washington D.C.. has been something of a mystery. In part, because Washington D.C. is run by the federal government, it has been in the past much more difficult politically for various controversial, yet effective programs, such as needle exchange to be implemented. As HIV can be spread via heroine users exchanging needles, needle exchange programs have been proven to cut down on HIV transmission rates.

However, HIV is spread via a variety of modes in Washington D.C. in addition to sharing dirty needles, such as both heterosexual and homosexual sex. As residents in Washington D.C. who are HIV positive, the burden on the health care will undoubtedly increase. And as more is understood about the long term complications of HIV/AIDS, some of these people who have been HIV positive for years will need increased care for diseases related to either HIV, or due to the effects of long term use of antivirals used to treat AIDS.

Now, a recent article in Washington Post is reporting that the very real needs of people with HIV/AIDS in Washington D.C. are not being met in part because of vast inefficiency and corruption on the part of relief organizations that take grant dollars to care for these people with HIV. Shockingly, it was reported by the Washington Post that millions of dollars given by the D.C. Health Department to care for HIV/AIDS patients was misused, or even in some cases, wasn't used to help the people it was intended for. One case involves out and out fraud whereby a person who once ran a large cocaine ring pocketed money by promising to open a jobs training center which never materialized. The city has yet to ask him to repay what money he spent from the now canceled grant.

Perhaps as much as $25 million was given over a four year period to questionably effective organizations. Some of these AIDS relief organizations used "ghost employees", which were constructed with false information, to receive funds, which then may have been pocketed by unscrupulous individuals. While any sort of financial fraud is a crime, this wastage of tax dollars victimizes thousands of vulnerable HIV/AIDS patients, many of whom are without housing and social support services in a city that had once prided itself on its HIV/AIDS support programs.

Hopefully, the exposure of these wastes will force for more oversight to be placed on HIV/AIDS non-profits in the Washington D.C. area, so that more funds go to the people that these programs were intended to help.

Sources:

HIV/AIDS Rate Hits 3% in Washington D.C.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/14/AR2009031402176.html

Staggering need, striking neglect
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/17/AR2009101701984.html?hpid=skybox