Bay Area Bombshell

The San Francisco public health department in February announced cuts of about $17.5 million from its proposed 2003'2004 budget, including reductions in funding for HIV services at Shanti and at the University of California, San Francisco, AIDS Health Project. The two organizations will lose a total of about $400,000, affecting services for nearly 600 clients at Shanti and 900 at AHP. Shanti officials say the cuts will force them to lay off six employees who train and coordinate volunteers working with the agency's transportation, medication adherence, and home assistance programs. AHF will lose funding for such programs as its HIV hotline, which provides information to about 24,000 people each year. 'This is the worst year for the health department in the past eight years,' health director Mitch Katz told the Bay Area Reporter. 'These cuts are extremely painful and are occurring in areas already with unmet needs.'