* WARNING: THIS IS AN UNOFFICIAL, INTRODUCTORY COPY OF THE BILL.
THE OFFICIAL COPY CONSIDERED BY THE CITY COUNCIL IS THE FIRST READER COPY.
INTRODUCTORY*
CITY OF BALTIMORE
COUNCIL BILL R
(Resolution)
Introduced by: Councilmembers Clarke and Young
A RESOLUTION ENTITLED
A COUNCIL RESOLUTION concerning
title
Informational Hearing - HIV/AIDS State of Emergency
FOR the purpose of calling on City, State, and federal agencies to update the Council about their efforts to alleviate the AIDS pandemic in Baltimore and encouraging greater ongoing collaboration between government at all levels and community partners working to address the HIV/AIDS state of emergency in Baltimore City.
body
Recitals
The worldwide HIV/AIDS pandemic has a particularly severe impact on Baltimore City. UNAIDS estimated that in 2007 there were 33 million people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide and 2 million AIDS related deaths. 13,269 of these 33 million people lived in Baltimore. This means that 1 in every 48 Baltimoreans is living with HIV or AIDS. In many neighborhoods the percentage of people living with HIV/AIDS is greater than 4% of all residents. Although City residents make up only 11% of Maryland's population, 47% of the State's HIV/AIDS cases are found in Baltimore. The Baltimore-Towson metro area had the second highest AIDS case report rate of any major metro area in the United States, and by some estimates every 8 hours another Baltimorean is infected with HIV.
In recognition of the fact that the impacts of this pandemic touch the lives of far too many City residents on a daily basis, Baltimore declared an ongoing HIV/AIDS state of emergency in 2002. In trying to cope with this state of emergency, the City has tasked the Commission on HIV/AIDS with responsibility for monitoring and coordinating efforts to combat HIV/AIDS in Baltimore. Many City, State, and federal agencies, as well as private organizations, make significant contributions to these efforts. Some of the most active of the private organizations engaged in the struggle against HIV/AIDS in Baltimore include:
? AIDS Action Baltimore
? AIDS Interfaith Residential Services, Inc. (AIRS)
? Black Educational AIDS Project, Inc (BEAP)
? Brother Help Thyself, Inc. (BHT)
? Celebration of Community!!
? Chase-Brexton Health Services, Inc.
? Empowering New Concepts, Inc. - The Portal
? Equality Maryland
? Family & Children's Services of Central Maryland / Home Based Services Program
? Gay Life Newspaper
? GLBT Community Center of Baltimore and Central Maryland
? Hearts and Ears, Inc.
? Healthcare for the Homeless
? Institute of Human Virology AIDS Clinical Trials Group Community Advisory Board
? Interfaith Fairness Coalition of Maryland
? InterGroup Services, Inc.
? Johns Hopkins University AIDS Clinical Trial Group Community Advisory Board
? Johns Hopkins University AIDS Service
? Johns Hopkins University, School of Public Health, Project SELF
? LifeLinc
? Maryland Black Family Alliance
? Marylander's of Color Collective
? May I Walk You Home Inc.
? Metropolitan Community Church of Baltimore
? Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church
? Moveable Feast
? New Vision House of Hope Supportive Housing Program
? Older Women Embracing Life (OWEL)
? PA/Mid-Atlantic AIDS Education and Training Center, Johns Hopkins Local Performance Site
? Park West Health System, Inc.
? Pride in Faith
? Project PLASE
? SHARP Coalition
? Sisters Together and Reaching, Inc. (STAR)
? Empowering New Concepts, Inc. - The Portal
? The Positive Voices of Baltimore
? Total Health Care, Inc.
? TransUnited
? Unity Fellowship Church of Baltimore
? University of Maryland Medical Center - Inpatient HIV Unit
? University of Maryland - Evelyn Jordan Center
? University of Maryland - Pediatric AIDS Program
? Women Accepting Responsibility (WAR)
As a new decade begins with the HIV/AIDS state of emergency still in effect, it is more important than ever that the vital work of all of these organizations be supported and coordinated. Accordingly, the City Council believes that an official discussion about the current status of the struggle against HIV/AIDS in Baltimore is necessary at this time. This discussion must involve all of the agencies and organizations that have a role in the fight against HIV/AIDS so that additional and current recommendations from the Commission on HIV/AIDS and other community stakeholders can be solicited. The extent to which progress has been made in implementing the Commission's previous recommendations and suggestions of how best to move toward full implementation of those recommendations, must also be examined.
In order to re-emphasize the priority that the City Council places on efforts to alleviate this pandemic, the Council therefore invites representatives of the many organizations engaged in the struggle against HIV/AIDS to gather for a hearing before the Council in the hope that this hearing will encourage an ongoing dialogue between government agencies and the HIV/AIDS community. Such a dialogue is essential so that both the City and its community partners can focus their efforts in the ways that will most effectively respond to the HIV/AIDS state of emergency in Baltimore.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF BALTIMORE, That City, State, and federal agencies, as well as community organizations, are invited to appear before the Council to describe their efforts to alleviate the AIDS pandemic in Baltimore and to discuss ways to facilitate ongoing collaboration between government at all levels and community partners working to address the HIV/AIDS state of emergency in Baltimore City.
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be sent to the Mayor, the Director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy, the Chief of the Center for HIV Surveillance and Epidemiology of the Infectious Disease and Environmental Health Administration, the Director of the All Faith Communities Advancing AIDS Prevention Program of the Infectious Disease and Environmental Health Administration, the Program Manager of the Sexual Minorities Program of the Infectious Disease and Environmental Health Administration, the Health Commissioner, the Mayor's Office of Community and Human Development, the Chair of the Greater Baltimore HIV Health Services Planning Council, the Chair of the Commission on HIV Prevention and Treatment, the President and CEO of Baltimore Mental Health Systems, the President and CEO of Baltimore Substance Abuse Systems, the Director of Public Works, the Director of Social Services, the Housing Commissioner, the CEO of Baltimore City Public Schools, the Chair of the Mayor's Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Task Force, the Director of the Department of Infectious Diseases at the Veterans Administration Maryland Health Care Systems - Baltimore VA, the Director of the Department of Mental Health at the Veterans Administration Maryland Health Care Systems - Baltimore VA, AIDS Action Baltimore, AIDS Interfaith Residential Services, Inc. (AIRS), Black Educational AIDS Project, Inc (BEAP), Brother Help Thyself, Inc. (BHT), Celebration of Community, Chase-Brexton Health Services, Inc., Empowering New Concepts, Inc. - The Portal, Equality Maryland, Family & Children's Services of Central Maryland / Home Based Services Program, Gay Life Newspaper, GLBT Community Center of Baltimore and Central Maryland, Hearts and Ears, Inc., Healthcare for the Homeless, Institute of Human Virology AIDS Clinical Trials Group Community Advisory Board, Interfaith Fairness Coalition of Maryland, InterGroup Services, Inc. Johns Hopkins University AIDS Clinical Trial Group Community Advisory Board, Johns Hopkins University AIDS Service, Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health, Project SELF, LifeLinc, Maryland Black Family Alliance, Marylander's of Color Collective, May I Walk You Home Inc., Metropolitan Community Church of Baltimore, Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church, Moveable Feast, New Vision House of Hope Supportive Housing Program, Older Women Embracing Life (OWEL), PA/Mid-Atlantic AIDS Education and Training Center, Johns Hopkins Local Performance Site, Park West Health System, Inc., Project PLASE, SHARP Coalition, Sisters Together and Reaching, Inc. (STAR), Empowering New Concepts, Inc. - The Portal, The Positive Voices of Baltimore, Total Health Care, Inc., TransUnited, University of Maryland Medical Center - Inpatient HIV Unit, University of Maryland - Evelyn Jordan Center, University of Maryland - Pediatric AIDS Program, Women Accepting Responsibility (WAR), and the Mayor's Legislative Liaison to the City Council.
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