Illinois Doomsday Budget Dooms Pre-School, Medical Care for Illinois HIV/AIDS-Affected Toddlers

(Chicago, IL) -- HIV-positive mothers and children today appeared at a press conference to appeal to Governor Pat Quinn to restore funding for early childhood education, medical care and mental-health counseling for HIV/AIDS-infected and affected children.

The Children's Place Association—based in Chicagos Humboldt Park neighborhood—has been notified by the state that its $729,000 state grant has been slashed by more than 70%. The organization has received funding from the state for this program for the last eleven years, through three different administrations. A cut of this size will force this specialized center to close.

The magnitude of Governor Quinns cut will force us to close our specialized pre-school program for 60 HIV/AIDS-affected infants and toddlers, said Cathy Krieger, President and CEO of The Children's Place Association. These children will be stripped of nursing care, early childhood education, mental health counseling services, and turned out of their pre-school.

HIV/AIDS-infected children require ongoing monitoring and their medication must be dispensed with the kind of specialized care that only a nurse can provide, said Krieger. Their health will be at risk without the nursing care they currently receive while they are in our care.

The pre-school program currently cares and educates HIV/AIDS-infected children who require medication and monitoring, children of sick mothers who are too ill to care for them full-time, and children of other HIV/AIDS-infected guardians.

We trust that Governor Quinn will recognize the importance of the services we provide to these vulnerable children and families, and restore our funding in full, said Krieger.

Helping The Childrens Place Association to reverse the budget elimination are: State Senators William Delgado (D-Chicago) and Iris Martinez (D-Chicago), State Representatives Cynthia Soto (D-Chicago), and Antonia Toni Berrios (D-Chicago).

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Cathy Krieger
• Pat Quinn
• Iris Martinez
• William Delgado
• Cynthia Soto
• Toni Berrios
• Illinois Doomsday Budget

[walkerrobinsonjr]

fix the budget??? Are you mad, we spend 2x's what we bring in, in income taxes.

No money is to be found because we are in debt up to our eyeballs. You think its bad now, just wait.

In my opinion programs like this should not be the responsiblity of the state.

[michaelg0ldman]

This is outrageous! They always seem to find money for tax breaks for corporations they're trying to lure to relocate in our state, but when it comes to helpless children and families, no money is to be found. I guess the kids aren't writing big enough campaign contribution checks.