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Press Release

LULAC Calls for Immediate Modernization of the Ryan White CARE Act.

September 15, 2006

Contact: Lizette Jenness Olmos,
(202) 365-4553
ljolmos@lulac.org

Washington – Brent Wilkes, National Executive Director for the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), today issued the following statement urging Congress to immediately modernize and reauthorize the Ryan White CARE Act:

“I applaud the members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee for their efforts in drafting a Ryan White CARE Act that will ensure that ALL Americans infected with HIV/AIDS have access to life saving medications and treatment. The bipartisan, bicameral legislation is a giant step forward to ending the disparities that exist under the current law.

“Hispanic Americans now make up one-fifth of all people living with HIV/AIDS in America – and that number continues to grow. The disease increasingly affects those Hispanics living and working in non-urban areas of the heartland where there is little or no health insurance and inadequate health care options.

“We believe the reforms in the proposed Enzi-Kennedy-Barton-Dingell legislation will alleviate the disparities in the current law and will provide Hispanic Americans with HIV/AIDS the access to life sustaining treatment and healthcare they desperately need.

“LULAC thanks all the Congressional leaders for their work on this important piece of legislation. We hope that this bipartisan and bicameral Ryan White CARE Act reauthorization will be passed quickly so that all Americans in need will receive treatment.”

Click here to read the latest Coalition Letter sent to the Congress

About LULAC
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the oldest and largest Latino civil rights organization in the United States. LULAC advances the economic condition, educational attainment, political influence, health, and civil rights of Hispanic Americans through community-based programs operating at more than 600 LULAC councils nationwide.

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