It was a busy week in the news for the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) and its network of advocates.
On Wednesday, about 200 hundred HIV/AIDS advocates traveled to Springfield, for AFC's annual Lobby Day, to fight the proposed $4 million in HIV service cuts. At the same time, Gov. Pat Quinn has proposed a plan to cut $1.3 billion from the state's Medicaid program. Many of the advocates were HIV-positive people who would be affected by both sets of cuts.
Watch NBC-Channel 17's story from the rally at Lobby Day (above).
On Thursday, Gov. Pat Quinn announced a litany of proposed Medicaid service cuts designed to reduce the budget by $1.3 billion. One of these proposals would make it far more difficult for people with HIV to access once-a-day combination pills that have simplified and vastly improved HIV treatment.
AFC responded quickly in opposition to Quinn's recommendation, which likely will create a barrier to continuous adherence to lifesaving HIV medications that can also prevent HIV transmission. Click here to read AFC's full press release.
Soon thereafter, Roseanne Tellez, a reporter for Chicago's CBS-Channel 2, interviewed AFC's Chief Officer of Clinical Care Daliah Mehdi on the potential impact of Quinn's proposal. Click here to watch the story.
And Evany Turk, an advocate for the Illinois Alliance for Sound AIDS Policy, talked to ABC-Channel 7 about what the new HIV drug restrictions would mean for her.
Do you ever feel there are critical advances in HIV/AIDS prevention that aren't being properly covered in the mainstream media? Or that there are complex HIV/AIDS-related healthcare and funding issues not being clearly explained? Or that there are powerful HIV/AIDS stories here in Chicago just waiting for someone to tell them? We feel that way, too!
At the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC), we’re committed to changing the story of HIV/AIDS. Inside Story aims to take you inside that story, to give you an intimate look at how AFC, and other Chicago and national organizations, are fighting HIV/AIDS through medical, housing and support services; cutting-edge research into prevention and treatment methods; and advocacy for stronger HIV-AIDS public policy from legislators.
If you have questions or blog ideas, please contact AFC Communications Coordinator at rsingleton@aidschicago.org.
