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Some of the $28 million San Francisco receives in yearly federal funding for AIDS and HIV programs can instead be going to southern and rural states.

The shift in endowment is part of a taken as a whole program to move some funding from urban areas to the rural regions of the country.

After a nearly unanimous vote by a Senate health committee, San Francisco may lose as much as one-quarter of the yearly funding it receives or $6 million.

Former City Health Director Dr, Mervin Silverman tells KCBS journalist Tim Ryan the loss of funding would be felt because the city still sees 1,200 new HIV/AIDS infections each year. "We are an epicenter of this problem and we need to do everything possible to reduce to zero the number of new infections and make sure we can still provide the appropriate drugs and counseling for those who are already infected," he said.

Under the same plan, Sacramento may lose all of its HIV/AIDS funding and Orange County may also lose as much as 80-percent of its funding.

The funding shift plan still should go through before the full House and Senate.