Sources for some information in this issue include Boston Globe, Journal of Infectious Diseases, Au Courant. A survey of over 1000 people living with HIV disease who are receiving services from the regional AIDS service system says that 1 in 4 of them are unable to obtain the housing they need, and 3 in 10 need emergency financial help they can't get. The survey was conducted by Basile, Ryan, a Washington AIDS consulting firm, for the Philadelphia HIV Commission, the regional planning body for the allocation of federal AIDS funding. A draft of Basile's initial analysis of the survey data has been presented at several meetings of the HIV Commission over the past few weeks.
Further analysis is planned for the final document.
Commission members intend to use the document to help them establish priorities for federal AIDS funding in the coming year. The written survey was completed by 1069 individuals, almost three times more than originally projected. The consultants noted that since respondents received their surveys at locations where AIDS services are provided, it is likely that the needs of people who are not presently served by the AIDS system may not be reflected in the results. Thirty-eight percent said they were not using protease inhibitors, although some of this number likely includes recently infected individuals who may have access to the drugs but do not choose to take them. Twenty-four percent were on private insurance.