Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (WI) Contact: (414) 224-8280 Website: http://www.jsonline.com/ Pubdate: Tue, 21 Apr 1998 Author: John Fauber of the Journal Sentinel staff SHALALA BACKS NEEDLE SWAPS BUT NOT FEDERAL FUNDING The Clinton administration Monday decided not to provide federal funds for needle exchange programs, despite evidence that they reduce the risk of HIV infection and do not encourage drug use. Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala, who made the decision, said it would be up to local communities to decide whether to fund their own needle exchange programs. "A meticulous scientific review has now proven that needle exchange programs can reduce the transmission of HIV and save lives without losing ground in the battle against illegal drugs," Shalala said in a statement. The administration hopes Shalala's strong endorsement will lead to new needle exchanges. But AIDS activists have said that federal money is key, and Shalala's decision angered area AIDS advocates. "Shalala has established a policy that is killing people," said Doug Nelson, executive director of the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin. "It is a complete abrogation of leadership. If Donna Shalala can't lead as the chief of public health policy in this country, then she should resign." According to Health and Human Services data: 40% of the 652,000 AIDS cases in the United States have been linked to injection drug use. More than 70% of infections among women of childbearing age are related either directly or indirectly to injection drug use. More than 75% of babies diagnosed with HIV/AIDS were infected as a direct or indirect result of injection drug use by a parent. A 4-year-old needle exchange program operating in the Milwaukee area, which is funded by private sources, reaches about 2,000 of the 5,000 to 6,000 intravenous drug users here, Nelson said. Nationwide, 88 needle exchanges are operating with private, state or local funding, and numerous scientific studies and public health groups have determined that such programs reduce the risk of HIV infection. Congress banned the use of federal tax dollars to pay for needle exchanges until Shalala certified that scientific studies proved the programs both reduced spread of HIV and did not encourage drug use. After a months-long review by her scientific advisers, Shalala decided that needle exchanges were scientifically backed. But whether to allow federal funding was debated heavily by administration officials during the weekend. The decision came after Republicans in Congress threatened to ban federal funding of needle exchanges altogether if Shalala did decide to attempt it. Most Milwaukeeans support needle exchange programs to fight AIDS and think that tax revenue should help pay for them, according to a poll released last month. The poll showed 57% approved, 36% disapproved and 7% were undecided. The poll, conducted in December by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Institute for Survey and Policy Research and funded by the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin, was of 409 randomly selected adults and had a margin of error of 4.9 percentage points. The Associated Press contributed to this report.