NJ: Mothers' March vs AIDS, for Needle Exchange id OAA15613; Wed, 1 Oct 1997 14:43:53 -0400 Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit Mon, 29 Sep 1997 20:16:29 -0400 (EDT) source: Chris Lanier Q. Why does Jersey City have the highest AIDS rate per capita of any city in the United States? A. Christine Todd Whitman Mothers March Against AIDS, for Needle Exchange and Treatment on Demand October 21st, 12 noon Trenton, New Jersey In spite of the fact that there are 50,000 injection drug users in the State of New Jersey, Governor Whitman has consistantly blocked needle exchange. While every other state in the Northeast, including New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Connecticut, all have provisions for legal needle exchange programs, New Jersey continues to outlaw such activities, placing thousands of injectors, their families and children at risk of HIV. By the end of 1996, 19,100 New Jersey residents developed AIDS because of a shared needle. Of these cases 11,800 (62%) were African Americans. Another 3,000 cases were Latinos (16%). Would the Governor adopt a different strategy if most of the infected were white? The lifetime cost of treating a person with AIDS is estimated to be over $120,000, and is increasing with new treatments. A syringe costs ten cents. New Jersey taxpayers deserve effective HIV prevention. New Jersey has the 3rd highest rate of injection related AIDS in the nation. How many more infections will it take before Governor Whitman takes action to address the problem? Mothers' March Coalition ==> (732) 247-3242 Who should attend? Mothers who are infected with injection-related HIV; mothers whose adult and adolescent children are infected with injection-related HIV, Grandmothers & FosterMothers raising children who have been orphaned by injection-related HIV, Mothers whose partners have been infected with injection-related HIV, mothers who are concerned about injection-related HIV, anyone else who supports needle exchange and increased availability of drug treatment. ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytsxp-10.01.97-14:44:06-4742