Global AIDS coordinator Goosby should serve as 'fierce advocate' for pediatric HIV/AIDS programs, letter to editor Says

"The details of President Obama's new global health initiative have left many concerned that the financing described does not reflect the commitment required to lead the United States' efforts in the global fight against HIV and AIDS," Jennifer Delaney, executive director of Global Action for Children, writes in a New York Times letter to the editor.

She adds that the Obama administration "needs to recognize that we cannot afford to scrimp on global health -- the cost of failure is too high. Our inaction threatens to forsake the more than 15 million children orphaned by AIDS, future parents and leaders of our world."

As Eric Goosby, the recently nominated Global AIDS Coordinator, "begins his work in Washington, he faces serious obstacles to securing the full financing Congress has authorized to combat HIV and AIDS -- the financing our moral obligations demand," Delaney writes. She concludes, "We expect Dr. Goosby to be a fierce advocate for lifesaving HIV/AIDS and children's programs. He can expect our tireless support in return" (Delaney, New York Times, 5/17).