Prevention Matters

President Obama on Monday named Eric Goosby as the new global AIDS coordinator and administrator of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the New York Times reports.

According to the Times, Goosby likely will be a "lightning rod" if he is confirmed by the Senate because some advocates are hoping to expand the current focus of PEPFAR prevention programs beyond abstinence and fidelity to include things like increased condom distribution and family planning programs. Although Goosby will stipulate some guidelines, other policies were written into law, the Times reports.

Goosby currently serves as CEO and chief medical officer of Pangaea Global AIDS Foundation and is a professor of clinical medicine at the University of California-San Francisco. During the Clinton administration, he served as deputy director of the White House National AIDS Policy Office and director of HHS' Office of HIV/AIDS Policy. According to White House officials, Goosby was a key player in the developing and implementing national HIV/AIDS treatment programs in China, Rwanda, South Africa and Ukraine.

As Congress deliberated on an economic stimulus plan, an AIDS worker on the other side of the country eloquently voiced the questions that are on the minds of public health officials everywhere.

"Are positions building highways of more importance than positions promoting good health?" Michael Kaplan, executive director at Cascade AIDS Project in Oregon, asked in a guest column that appeared in today's edition of "The Stump," a blog produced by The (Portland) Oregonian's Editorial Board. "Does a salaried construction worker spend less in our communities than a salaried public health specialist? Are positions focused on green energy -- efforts that save on fuel costs in the long run -- of more value than positions focused on health promotion that save on health care costs in the long run?

"The reality is that some members of Congress have decided which sectors of society they care for more, and it seems those who serve private interests over the public good are winning," Kaplan said. "At a time when the economy will only further decimate the public health system -- a system already ailing -- how is it we can say there is no need to support the return of jobs to help with this important work for our community?"