AID Atlanta Director Resigns Following Loss of Federal Funding
AID Atlanta Executive Director Tony Braswell announced Wednesday that he is resigning from the position, almost one month after the organization lost $500,000 in federal funding due to an incomplete grant application, the Atlanta
Journal-Constitution reports. Braswell, who has served as head of the organization since 1996, said that the application error did not influence his decision to resign, saying instead that he wants to spend more time with his partner, who lives in Los Angeles. However, three AID Atlanta board members said that the board requested Braswell's resignation after the organization did not provide requested proof of the not-for-profit status of its new primary care physician on a Ryan White CARE Act grant application. "I personally wish all of this had never been necessary but under the circumstances, there was no choice," board member Lynne Halpern said, adding, "We have too many clients who count on us" (Hill/Eldredge, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 3/28). As a result of the funding cut, AID Atlanta stopped offering blood work and medications to clients, although the organization continues to provide HIV testing, counseling, case management, education and other outreach services (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 2/14). Ken Britt, the board's chair, said that the board "certainly didn't ask" for Braswell's resignation. "For once, he's putting his personal life ahead of his professional life," Britt added (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 3/28).
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