24240 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS September 16, 1987 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS INTRAVENOUS SUBSTANCE hearing on "Pediatric AIDS" at Harlem Hospi­ venous drug users is high. Secondary consid­ ABUSE AND AIDS PREVENTION tal in New York City. To date, Harlem Hospital eration will be given to communities where the ACT OF 1987 has cared for at least 60 children infected with incidence of HIV infection among intravenous the HIV virus. At any one time, there are 8 to substance abusers is substantial. HON. CHARLES 8. RANGEL 12 such children in the hospital. Services that may be provided under this OF NEW YORK In Harlem, as in the Nation, most of these grant program include: IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES children contract the AIDS virus from their Prenatal care for women who are intrave­ mother during pregnancy or during the proc­ Wednesday, September 16, 1987 nous drug users; ess of delivery. Most of the infected mothers Services and financial assistance to parents Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, today I have in­ are either past or present intravenous drug of children infected with HIV; troduced the " Intravenous Substance Abuse users or have had sexual relations with some­ Services and financial assistance to encour­ and AIDS Prevention Act of 1987." one who has the virus, usually an intravenous age foster care for infants with HIV; Acquired immune deficiency syndrome­ drug user. It is easy to judge these women Counseling, education, and testing services Al DS-is perhaps the most pernicious enemy and simply condemn them for their behavior. ever faced by this Nation. This disease could Such posturing, however, will not prevent for women who are intravenous drug users literally destroy us from within. AIDS, however, more babies from becoming infected; it will and who are pregnant or at risk of becoming is not only a direct threat to our national not help those babies already afflicted with pregnant, to prevent the transmission of HIV; health and well being, it is also a deadly indi­ the disease; and it will not change the behav­ and cator of another disease infecting our socie­ ior of the adults who are transmitting this Counseling, education, and testing services ty-intravenous [IV] drug abuse. Intravenous plague. for women who are the sexual partners of in­ drug abuse is the second most frequent Preventing and reducing the transmission of travenous drug abusers and who are preg­ means of transmitting the human immunodefi­ AIDS among intravenous drug abusers is one nant, or at risk of becoming pregnant, to pre­ ciency virus [HIV], which causes AIDS. The of the most effective ways to prevent and vent the transmission of AIDS; $100 million is legislation I have proposad wouid authorize reduce the hetercsexua! er perinata! transmis­ provided for grants to prevent the spread of Federal funds for grants to expand drug abuse sion of AIDS. For that reason, I have intro­ AIDS related to intravenous drug abuse. treatment, establish prevention programs, and duced the "Intravenous Substance Abuse and Because minority communities are being provide services to reduce the spread of AI DS AIDS Prevention Act of 1987." This legislation disproportionately affected by AIDS related to through intravenous drug abuse. would provide $400 million for grants to intravenous drug abuse, the bill preference to The Centers for Disease Control report over expand drug abuse treatment services for in­ programs providing services to minority popu­ 40,000 cases of AIDS. They project 270,000 travenous drug abusers, for demonstration lations in any geographic area where there is cases by 1991. Since there is no known cure projects to reduce and prevent the incidence substantial intravenous substance abuse. for the disease, most of these individuals will of AIDS in infants and to provide support to Projects funded under this provision would die. infants who have AIDS, and for prevention include education and counseling outreach Among the reported cases of AIDS, hetero­ programs to arrest the spread of AIDS related projects for intravenous substance abusers sexual intravenous drug abusers constitute 17 to intravenous drug abuse. and school based and mass media efforts. percent. If the cases of AIDS among homo­ Specifically: The bill authorizes $200 million AIDS will not simply disappear. If we wait sexuals who are also IV-drug users are added for the Secretary of Health and Human Serv­ for a cure, many will die unnecessarily. It is to the heterosexual IV-drug users, intravenous ices to make grants to public and private non­ only through a concerted effort on the part of drug abuse accounts for approximately one­ profit entities to provide treatment services to all segments of the community and all levels fourth of all AIDS cases. intravenous substance abusers. of Government that we can purge our Nation AIDS is transmitted among intravenous sub­ The grants will enable these programs to of this disease. AIDS, like small pox and polio, stance abusers through the use and sharing make available to such abusers, and to their must become a disease of our past, not our of needles, syringes, swabs, or other drug-re­ sexual partners, counseling and education present and future. To ensure that this hap­ lated implements, contaminated with HIV in­ services to prevent the transmission of HIV pens, we must recognize the important link and testing to determine HIV infection. fected blood. AIDS can be transmitted rapidly between intravenous drug abuse and the among intravenous substance abusers in a Priority for the services will be given to geo­ spread of AIDS. We must provide treatment given geographic area. These individuals are graphic areas where the incidence of intrave­ for intravenous substance abusers and we only the first of the victims in the IV-drug use/ nous substance abuse is substantial relative must reach out to immunize those communi­ AIDS chain. Once a group of intravenous sub­ to the incidence in other areas and, simulta­ ties and populations most threatened by intra­ stance abusers becomes exposed to the HIV neously, the incidence of HIV infection is rela­ venous drug abuse. My bill would respond virus, they become the primary source for het­ tively substantial. Seventy-five percent of the specifically to these needs. erosexual and perinatal transmission of AIDS. funding under this section of the act will be re­ Although female and perinatal AIDS cases served for such areas. Another 25 percent of In closing, I urge my colleagues to join me constitute only a small proportion of AIDS the funding will be directed toward communi­ as a cosponsor of this legislation. It is essen­ cases, the association between these cases ties where the incidence of intravenous drug tial to the preservation of our national health and IV-drug use is startling. More than 50 per­ use is substantial and the incidence of HIV is and national security. cent of women with AIDS are intravenous not, but the development of HIV may be pre­ Mr. Speaker, I include the Intravenous Drug drug abusers. The second largest group of vented if sufficient treatment, counseling, and Abuse and AIDS Prevention Act of 1987 at women at risk for contracting AIDS are education services are provided to intrave­ this point in the RECORD: women who are the sexual partners of intra­ nous drug users; $100 million is authorized for H.R. 3292 venous substance abusers. There are current­ demonstrated projects to reduce or prevent To establish certain grant programs relating ly more than 500 pediatric AIDS cases. The the incidence of HIV infection in infants and to to acquired immune deficiency syndrome overwhelming majority of pediatric AIDS pa­ provide support to infants who have such in­ among intravenous substance abusers, and tients, infected through maternal transmission, fections. for other purposes were children of intravenous drug users. Priority will be given to communities where Be it enacted by the Senate and House of On July 27, the Select Committee on Nar­ the incidence of infant HIV infection is sub­ Representatives of the United States of cotics Abuse and Control, which I chair, held a stantial and the incidence of HIV among intra- America in Congress assembled, e This "bullet" symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. Matter set in •this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. September 16, 1987 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS 24241 SECTION I. SHORT TITLE. Cb) REQUIREMENTS WITH RESPECT TO AC­ <A> the incidence in infants of infections This Act may be cited as the "Intravenous QUIRED IMMUNE DEFICIENCY SYNDROME.-The with the etiologic agent for acquired Substance Abuse and AIDS Prevention Act Secretary may not make a grant under sub­ immune deficiency syndrome is substantial of 1987". section (a) to an applicant unless the appli­ relative to such incidence in other geo­ SEC. 2. FINDINGS. cant agrees that, in providing pursuant to graphic areas; and The Congress finds as follows: subsection <a> treatment services to intrave­ <B> the incidence, among intravenous sub­ <1) More than 38,000 ca;;es of acquired nous substance abusers, the applicant will- stance abusers, of infections with the etiolo­ immune deficiency syndrome <AIDS> have ( 1) make available to such abusers, and to gic agent for acquired immune deficiency been reported to the Centers for Disease the sexual partners of such abusers, coun­ syndrome is substantial relative to such inci­ Control, and more than 270,000 such cases seling and education services with respect to dence in other geographic areas; and are expected to be reported by 1991. preventing the transmission of the etiologic (2) give second priority to qualified appli­ (2) Intravenous substance abuser:> are the agent for acquired immune deficiency syn­ cants that will provide services under the second largest group in the United States drome; and grant in any geographic area described in that has AIDS.