Washington, DC – Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (D-CT) today applauded passage of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act, which reauthorizes the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) program for four years and increases the authorization level by 5% each year.

“For almost two decades now, the Ryan White CARE Act has funded critical services for Americans with HIV/AIDS,” said Congresswoman DeLauro. “Today we have ensured that this important program can continue for the next four years, and that even our most vulnerable citizens can obtain the resources they need to survive this deadly disease.”

In 2006, the reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act led to dramatic cuts in HIV/AIDS care and services for the State of Connecticut. State losses in funding totaled more than $3 million annually — New Haven suffered a nearly 24 percent decrease. The legislation passed today will help restore much of the funding Connecticut had lost in previous years.

The Ryan White Act also restores a provision that requires hospitals or other patient-receiving medical facilities to notify emergency response personnel (firefighters, paramedics and EMTs) when they may have been exposed to infectious diseases—including HIV/AIDS— while attending, treating, assisting, or transporting a victim.

Named for pediatric AIDS victim Ryan White, the Act funds the largest federal program focused exclusively on HIV/AIDS care. Originally passed in 1990, the Act provides funding to cities, states, and organizations to provide direct assistance to individuals and families living with HIV/AIDS, including primary care, medications, support services, dental care, medical transportation, and many other services.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 1.1 million Americans are currently living with HIV/AIDS. Since the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, an estimated 580,000 Americans with AIDS have died. There are more than 50,000 new HIV/AIDS infections reported each year.