At a news conference on Thursday, the chief of the Mississippi State Department of Health disputed claims that the department practiced racial discrimination by passing up federal HIV/AIDS funding for minorities. The American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi and other nonprofit groups claimed MSDH failed to apply for a grant that would have directed $50,000-75,000 to fight HIV among black residents.

"We made a choice between a $50,000 grant and a $1.38 million grant," said Dr. Ed Thompson, the state health officer. "We won the $1.38 million grant. We think this was a better use of our resources."

Thompson said he is well aware of racial disparities for HIV/AIDS in the state. MSDH allocates $10.5 million each year to prevent the disease and increase awareness, he said. Of that amount $8.2 million, or 78 percent, is directed to black communities, said Thompson.

But Sarah Young, ACLU's spokesperson, said MSDH is misappropriating the funds, as 70 percent is directed to women while just 30 percent of cases are female. "Look at the data and you will see that the Health Department is neglecting men," she said. "We didn't get involved with this to vilify [MSDH but] to hold the government accountable." "We have no state strategy to deal with this epidemic," said Valencia Robinson, field organizer for AIDS Action Mississippi.

More than 8,500 people are living with HIV/AIDS in the state, according to MSDH. Of new cases, almost 70 percent are African-Americans, who as a group comprise less than 40 percent of the state's population.

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