GLAA urges creation of DC Council Committee on Health
Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance of Washington, DCPO Box 75265
Washington, DC 20013
202-667-5139
December 3, 2002
The Honorable Linda Cropp
Chairman of the Council
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20004
Dear Mrs. Cropp:
As you and your colleagues deliberate the Council's committee structure for the 2003-04 term, we are writing to urge the creation of a separate Committee on Health.
When the Department of Health was separated from the Department of Human Services a few years ago, the Council decided to keep both agencies under the purview of one Human Services committee. In retrospect, we think that was a mistake. Both agencies are large and complex, requiring a heavy dose of aggressive oversight from the Council. Such oversight on health-related concerns was too often lacking in the term now ending. In particular, we are distressed that no oversight hearing has been conducted for the HIV/AIDS Administration (HAA) in several years, despite our repeated calls for such hearings. Facilitated by this neglect, a number of problems continue to fester within HAA, compromising the District's ability to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS.
More broadly, the imminent threat to the entire health care system implemented to replace D.C. General further argues for a heavier focus by the Council on health issues in the next two years, a focus that virtually mandates the creation of a separate Health Committee.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Bob Summersgill
President
Cc: All Councilmembers