We Must Not Pass Up Mississippi’s Chance for Change
Posted by David Thorpe , August 30, 2010 at 8:12pm
Thompson, thankfully, is behind us. It’s time to find the right man for Mississippi State AIDS Director.
By Luke Versher
Mississippi has started a search for a new state AIDS director, which in itself is good news to people living with HIV/AIDS throughout the state.
We are no longer bound to an outdated, uncreative and shortsighted director who wanted things run his way or no way. Under Craig Thompson’s stewardship, monies were returned unspent to the federal government (HRSA, as well as HUD), HIV infection rates rose, grants were underutilized or not applied for, money was mismanaged such as the recently discovered overspending of Ryan White funds in excess of $800,000.
But that is the past and we are looking toward the future. The state of Mississippi needs not only a compassionate and understanding state AIDS director but one who grasps what it will take to move us in the right direction. AIDS Action in Mississippi, along with A Brave New Day, Mississippi in Action and other organizations, expect our next director to:
• coordinate statewide HIV efforts across prevention, counseling and testing and care services to ensure that all programs work together and evolve effectively;
• apply for and utilize grants that improve the quality of life for Mississippians living with HIV/AIDS;
• make changes to Mississippi’s HOPWA program to address housing issues facing Mississippians with HIV/AIDS;
• support a comprehensive sex education program that is age-appropriate and evidence-based;
• develop an innovative approach to end stigma and discrimination, starting with the repeal of laws that harm Mississippians living with HIV/AIDS;
• provide fiscally transparency;
• create goals and a timetable for implementing President Obama’s National AIDS Strategy.
AAIM, Mississippi in Action and A Brave New Day met with the State Health Officer Dr. Mary Currier, Director of the Office Communicable Diseases Joy Sennett, and Dir. of the Office Communicable Diseases and Epidemiology Dr. Paul Byers, who agreed that the above criteria should serve as a blueprint for the new AIDS director. They pledged to work with us throughout the hiring process. Dr. Currier also agreed to be part of a panel that includes State Rep. Stephen Holland, Public Health and Human Services Chairman and State Rep. John Hines at our upcoming Town Hall at the State Health Department on Sept. 21 at 6pm. At that gathering, panelists will discuss the director search, as well as Mississippi’s plan for implementing the National AIDS Strategy.
These are great first steps toward ensuring that we get the best person for the state AIDS director job. But it’s important that the AIDS community make a strong showing at the Town Hall. We must remind government officials that we are watching the hiring process. AIDS is a life or death issue. Politics as usual—choosing a spineless lackey, or horsetrading the position—cannot stand.
Luke O. Versher is a field organizer for AIDS Action in Mississippi, also known as AAIM. Reach him at luke.versher@aidsactionms.org. Mississippians can join him at the upcoming Town Hall at the Mississippi State Health Department in Jackson on Sept. 21 at 6pm to ensure that state leaders hire the right man for the AIDS director job.
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