President Obama Signs the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009

Today President Obama signed the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009. In his remarks at the signing, the President said, “over the past 19 years this legislation has evolved from an emergency response into a comprehensive national program for the care and support of Americans living with HIV/AIDS. It helps communities that are most severely affected by this epidemic and often least served by our health care system, including minority communities, the LGBT community, rural communities, and the homeless. It’s often the only option for the uninsured and the underinsured. And it provides life-saving medical services to more than half a million Americans every year, in every corner of the country.” Jeffrey Crowley, Director of the Office of National AIDS Policy and Senior Advisor on Disability Policy at the White House, wrote a blog post to commemorate this important event and honor Ryan White’s Legacy.

This means that now we can focus our attention on other matters, preparing for the drafting of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and beginning in earnest our efforts towards lifting the Federal ban on needle exchange.