From: "Jim Kennedy" cjkennedy®owjc.org> To: "Jim Kennedy" cjkennedy®owjc.org> Subject: WJC Mail: Combating HIV/AIDS In Bahamas Date: Thu, 10 Apr 2003 15:46:19 +0000 > Bill Clinton to visit Bahamas in AIDS fight > By TAMARA McKENZIE > April 3, 2003 > Guardian Staff Reporter > The Nassau Guardian > Bill Clinton is expected in Nassau on Friday in connection with his presidential foundation's support of campaigns to fight AIDS. > The 42nd American president has made it a major priority of his foundation has to assist Caribbean countries in building their capacity to fight the AIDS crisis. > Dr. Perry Gomez, director the national AIDS programme, said at a press conference at the Ministry of Health Wednesday, that the Clinton Foundation began working with the Bahamas programme last September. He said that after initial meetings in Washington, the foundation began visits to Nassau to assess the local AIDS programme to determine how to help. > "The foundation's assistance will be principally in the area of increasing access to drug treatment. They came to assess what all we have done over the years and really to produce a grant proposal to enable them as a foundation to raise funds to assist the various countries and in this case, they started with The Bahamas." > He said the foundation, during its "fact-finding" mission to The Bahamas, determined the "cost" of the Bahamas' local AIDS programme since its inception and what has been done. He saidd he and others were surprised to find out The Bahamas Government has been spending more than $6 million annually on AIDS. > Dr. Gomez said the Clinton Foundation wanted to help countries that were either starting or have had some success and The Bahamas fell in latter category. He said since the foundation has been working with The Bahamas, treatment of less 300 HIV patients has gone to almost 800 patients in close to five months, and that its target is to treat some 1,200 patients with a triple AIDS the