AHF To Challenge Supervisors, County Health Dept. On AIDS Funding Cuts Scheduled Without Proper Notice Or Required Public Hearings

LOS ANGELES, May 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Advocates from AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the nation's largest AIDS group, will address the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Tuesday morning during public comment and challenge the legality of AIDS funding cuts in Los Angeles County that are being considered a result of an overall 8.4% funding cut for AIDS services by the federal government. AHF officials will challenge the County's ability to institute this $3.3 million cut -- which includes a cut of almost $1.5 million in direct medical services for HIV patients -- without holding "Beilenson Act" hearings. The Beilenson Act requires "that before closing, eliminating or reducing its level of medical services ... the Board of Supervisors must provide public notice. This notice must be posted at the entrance to all county health care facilities and announce public hearings to be held by the Board prior to its decision to proceed. The notice must be posted not less than fourteen (14) days prior to the public hearings."

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030429/AHFLOGO ) The Beilenson Act

Section 1442.5 of the California Health and Safety Code, otherwise known as the "Beilenson Act," requires that before closing, eliminating or reducing its level of medical services, or the leasing, selling or transferring management of a county hospital, the Board of Supervisors must provide public notice. This notice must be posted at the entrance to all county health care facilities and announce public hearings to be held by the Board prior to its decision to proceed. The notice must be posted not less than fourteen (14) days prior to the public hearings. The notice must also contain a list of the proposed reductions by facility and service, and include the amount and type of each proposed reduction, the expected savings, and the number of persons affected.

CONTACT: Ged Kenslea, Communications Director of AIDS HealthcareFoundation, +1-323-860-5225