Obama issues executive order to step up federal coordination of efforts to combat HIV/AIDS

President Barack Obama's executive order said a working group chaired by Office of National AIDS Policy Director Grant Colfax and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius would have 180 days to deliver its recommendations.

The Hill: Obama Announces New Effort Against HIV
President Obama announced a new initiative Monday to fight HIV in the United States by better coordinating federal efforts against the virus. In an executive order, Obama repeated his commitment to an "AIDS-free generation" and described a new working group to support the administration's 2010 National HIV/AIDS Strategy (Baker and Viebeck, 7/15).

Reuters: Obama Orders Stepped Up Effort Against U.S. HIV/AIDS Epidemic
The order said a working group chaired by Grant Colfax, director of the Office of National AIDS Policy, and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius would have 180 days to deliver recommendations to the president. The HIV Care Continuum Working Group will gather information from federal agencies on HIV testing and care, review HIV research, and recommend ways to accelerate and improve HIV treatment and care, it said. The new order follows recommendations this year from the U.S. Preventive Service Task Force that all 15 to 65 year olds be screened for HIV infection, something that will be covered under Obama's signature heath reform, the Affordable Care Act (Abuteleb, 7/15).