Oklahoma gets federal AIDS money

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Oklahoma will get nearly $6 million in federal money to provide medical care, support services and prescription drugs for people with HIV and AIDS. <br><br>``These grants will help

Friday, April 2nd 2004, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Oklahoma will get nearly $6 million in federal money to provide medical care, support services and prescription drugs for people with HIV and AIDS.

``These grants will help us ensure that Oklahoma residents living with AIDS can get the care and services they need to stay healthy longer,'' Tommy Thompson, U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services, said Thursday in a prepared statement.

The federal grant for $5,923,857 is critical to meeting the needs of Oklahomans with HIV-AIDS, said Jean Ann Van Krevelen, executive director of RAIN- Oklahoma, the Regional AIDS Interfaith Network

``However, the need still far outweighs our resources. It is imperative that Oklahomans continue to advocate for increases in funding, both private and federal,'' Van Krevelen said.

State Health Department records show that 5,382 Oklahomans are living with HIV and AIDS. The virus has killed 2,475 Oklahomans in the past 20 years. Nationwide, AIDS has killed more than 500,000 Americans since 1981.

The has been an increase recently in infection among Oklahoma's black, Hispanic and American Indian populations. Cases in gay men remained consistent or declined slightly.

The costs of prescription drugs to treat AIDS can range from $12,000 to $26,000 a year, a state Health Department official said Thursday.

The Oklahoma grant is part of a $1 billion award shared among all states and U.S. territories. Grants are funded under the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act.