Ryan White was diagnosed with AIDS following a blood transfusion in December 1984. He was diagnosed at age 13 while living in Kokomo, Indiana, and was given six months to live. When Ryan White tried to return to school, he fought AIDS-related discrimination in his Indiana community. Along with his mother Jeanne White-Ginder, Ryan White rallied for his right to attend school. His efforts gained national attention, and he became the face in educating the public about his disease. Ryan White died in April 1990, one month before his high school graduation and only months before Congress passed the legislation bearing his name in August 1990, the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act.
The Communities Advocating for Emergency AIDS Relief (CAEAR) Coalition’s advocacy work focuses on how the components of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) can best address the service needs and improve the health status of people living with HIV.
Become a member of the CAEAR Coalition and join the united voice for the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program.
During each federal funding cycle, the CAEAR Coalition advocates on behalf of people living with HIV/AIDS for adequate federal funding for the Ryan White Program and End the Epidemic (EHE) Initiative. For over 30 years, CAEAR Coalition has been instrumental in securing appropriation increases. It has helped to increase Part A appropriations from $88 million to over $680 million and Part C appropriations from $76 million to over $209 million.