In an invited talk at the 2014 STD Prevention Conference , the AIDS Foundation of Chicago’s Director of Research, Evaluation and Data Services, Amy Johnson, along with UIC Associate Professor Supriya Mehta, discussed the application of search engine data to sexually transmitted disease (STD) surveillance. Highlighting their current study published in the Journal of Sexually Transmitted Diseases...
Read more...
Kristina Rasmussen, Executive Vice President of the Illinois Policy Institute, took Illinois to task by calling out its $1 million budget for condoms and lubricant.
Every new HIV case costs an estimated $390,000 in lifetime medical costs, much of which is paid for by the state. HIV cases are rising fastest among young gay and bisexual men (and particularly young African Americans and...
Read more...
So much can change in ten years — in world history, in fashion trends and in the way someone manages his relationship with HIV/AIDS.
Ten years ago, Armando Ramirez received some upsetting news: he was HIV-positive. For three years before that, he had been on his own, rejected by his family after Ramirez told them he is gay.
Ramirez, now 34 years old and living in...
Read more...
On a late night at the corner of 47th and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, anything can happen. If this popular hangout spot for gay, transgender, and homeless folks on Chicago's South Side could talk, it would have a lot to say. And I wanted to get in on that conversation.
As the prevention program manager for AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC), it's my job to know who in Chicago needs...
Read more...
Curtis Lewis is just like many 22-year-olds: he is a student at Purdue University-Calumet in Hammond, IN. And when he’s not studying, he’s also an actor: he will be featured in Gary Shakespeare Company’s production of Romeo and Juliet as Romeo this summer.
Lewis is also a sexually active gay male, and he’s taking preventive measures to keep himself HIV-negative. Curtis...
Read more...
On April 9, three clients and I, an Open Door Clinic staff member, joined the Illinois Alliance for Sound AIDS Policy (IL ASAP) and over 100 other advocates as we converged on Springfield to advocate for issues that impact to the HIV/AIDS community. Our biggest push was for the continued funding of HIV/AIDS services. When Illinois Governor Pat Quinn proposed his budget for next year, he maintained...
Read more...
AIDS Foundation of Chicago's (AFC) top donors and supporters will be venturing to Ignite Glass Studios in the textured West Town neighborhood for this year's spring fundraising event, where we'll kick off our 30th year of service. IGNITE, named after the industrial venue, will feature an open bar, world-class fare and dancing. Guests will also enjoy live glass artistry and roof-top views of the city...
Read more...
Through its Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS Program (HOPWA) program, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded nearly $3 million to AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) for two of its core housing programs.
The Re-entry Housing for Health Partnership (RHHP) was awarded a $1,419,482 HOPWA permanent supportive housing renewal grant to continue to provide housing...
Read more...
Before she met with State Representative La Shawn Ford at the Illinois state capitol building, Jacalyn Boyd had never had much interaction with her elected officials. But on April 9, Boyd, a peer navigator on the Austin Health Center of Cook County CBC Initiative in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood, joined more than 100 advocates to meet with their elected officials and advocate for their support...
Read more...
Improved prognoses, but many still at-risk for infection
Illinois HIV Care Connect is taking major strides to reach out to a changing HIV-positive population benefiting from improved prognoses due to advances in treatment and access to care. The AIDS Foundation of Chicago is one of seven lead agencies coordinating the services provided through the program, which is funded by the...
Read more...
