Leaders of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) are blasting the California Senate for refusing a funding increase for STD control.
On the heels of Monday's health department report showing record rates of STD's in the state, senators rejected a request for an additional $10 million dollars for the STD Control Budget.
Michael Weinstein, President of the AHF, says its not the first time such a request has been denied -- calling it reckless to continue to ignore a problem of this magnitude.
“We’re at a peak, right now, of STD’s,” said Weinstein. “If we don’t do something about it, it’s going to get completely out of control.”
Weinstein points to a 45 percent increase in chlamydia, gonorrhea and early syphilis over the last five years.
“We have to increase testing, treatment; social media, education… or those numbers are going to continue to skyrocket.” Weinstein continued.
The AHF has singled out Senator Dr. Richard Pan - as chairman of the Senate Budget Subcommittee on Health - for particularly harsh criticism. Calls to Senator Pan's media office were not immediately returned.