“I don’t prescribe those kinds of medicines” the older, White, gray-haired physician said in his judgmental southern drawl. I am sitting in this exam room at the public health department in Mobile, Alabama with a mix of emotions. I am grateful for the partner that thought enough of me after our encounter to provide my contact information so that I may receive STI testing...
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By: Tyline T. Burgess
January 2023 marks not only the beginning of a new year, but it also marks a change in leadership here at AIDS Foundation Chicago as board member’s leadership terms end. Three of our long-serving board members, Craig Johnson, Paula D. Friedman and J. Ben Stringfellow, will be stepping down from their position after many years of service and...
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By: Omar Martínez González, Sr. Manager, Policy & Advocacy
CHICAGO, IL – On December 29, 2022, President Biden signed a $1.7 trillion omnibus budget bill to fund the federal government through September 30, 2023. The omnibus bill included $858 billion for defense funding and $772.5 billion for non-defense discretionary programs like the...
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By Timothy Jackson, Director of Government Relations
With the U.S. Supreme Court overturning of Roe v. Wade and the deluge of gun violence across Illinois as the backdrop, the Illinois General Assembly gaveled into the 2023 Lame Duck Session on Wednesday, January 4, 2023. At a time when the rights to access comprehensive reproductive health care are under attack,...
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AIDS Foundation Chicago thanks U.S. Congressman Mike Quigley (IL-05) for providing $250,000 for training and services to better support seniors living with HIV. “Thankfully, people who are living with HIV and taking medication are living longer. HIV care providers and our supporting partners need training and education to meet the evolving and complex needs of people with HIV...
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Last month we talked with AFC’s Alex Garcia and Executive Director of Gamaliel of Metro Chicago and Pilsen Neighbors Community Council (PNCC) Juan F. Soto on their work as community organizers and their upcoming event, the 8th Driver’s License Reinstatement Expo.
This past summer, PNCC celebrated the 50th year of Fiesta Del Sol , a community celebration and showcase of the...
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by James Cotromanes
Sitting in a chair at the local clinic, I received a diagnosis of HIV in 2007. Having accepted and come terms with the fact I am HIV-positive, a new reality of living with this chronic condition after 15 years is now in the forefront; and posing a new challenge for both doctors and patients aging with HIV.
This virus is becoming a double edge sword...
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President Biden in his FY23 budget proposal called for the creation of a new mandatory program to make Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) accessible to all uninsured and underinsured people in the U.S., at no cost to them. PrEP is an essential part of the solution to address the impact of HIV, and with existing disparities within the LGTBQ+ community as well as among Black and Latinx people,...
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This year’s US Conference on HIV and AIDS was held on the island of Puerto Rico in its capital city, San Juan . The island is rich in history with San Juan (founded in 1521) being the oldest city in the US territory and the island itself, after being colonized by Spain and later the US (as a result of the Spanish-American war ), is considered by some to be the oldest colony in the...
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AIDS Foundation Chicago (AFC) will distribute $8.82 million to 40 organizations to deliver high-quality, cost-effective Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program services in Cook County and surrounding Collar counties. In September 2022, AFC released a Request for Proposals (RFP) to local organizations to support eleven service categories under the Ryan White program. The Ryan White program serves people...
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