Ohio turns down federal HIV education grant money

Ohio is one of only two states in the nation turning down $1.25 million in federal grant money intended to prevent HIV infections in teenagers. (Source: "Ohio doesn't accept federal money to fight HIV in teens," Plain Dealer, Oct. 30, 2007.) Ohio education officials say they don't think they qualify for funds because "they don't have the staff and don't have an HIV prevention program approved by the legislature." Ohio evidently received the HIV money for about 12 years but dropped out in 2000 after legislators raised concerns about explicit language and promotion of condoms in a teacher-training program. The state legislature then approved a law "requiring that education programs stress abstinence as the only 100 percent effective protection against sexually transmitted diseases."

Advocates for HIV/AIDS education in schools question the decision not to pursue the grant money. Marcia Egbert, a senior program officer for health and human services at the Gund Foundation, said "I don't think we have the luxury, given how AIDS and HIV numbers have spiked (in Cleveland), to miss any opportunity to get better education and to get better support into the state." According to the article, new cases of HIV/AIDS in Cuyahoga County jumped sharply in 2005 to 239, the highest number since 1997. There were 227 new HIV cases in the county in 2006.