For 15 years, the CDC has run a grant program that helps community health organizations provide life-saving, essential treatment for patients who are HIV-positive. This program offers free medication, mental healthcare, and access to primary care for millions of Americans living with HIV. But in one of the state's more overt displays of homophobia in recent years, conservative politicians in Tennessee have decided to stop accepting federal funds this May.
Sign now to demand Tennessee accept federal HIV treatment funds to save lives!
The state claims it has a "plan" for how to run the program once its existing federal funds dry up, but will not give any details on how it will operate or who will qualify for support. And advocates and experts worry that the program – if it exists at all – will be a shell of what it once was with federal money.
Clearly, Tennessee legislators do not think that vulnerable Americans – like queer folks and patients of color – deserve healthcare, and we cannot let this stand.
Governor Bill Lee and the Tennessee Department of Health must accept federal funds which support HIV treatment in the state! This money quite literally saves and prolongs lives! Sign the petition now if you agree!
