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The AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) has awarded 31 organizations a combined $7.35 million to connect thousands of people in the Chicagoland area living with HIV and AIDS to health care, housing services, transportation and other supportive services. These organizations were selected based on a spectrum of criteria, including their ability to serve Chicagoans most impacted by HIV: Black and Latino/Latinx gay and bisexual men, transgender women of color, and Black women living in high-incidence areas.

“We are confident that the organizations selected will provide our community with outstanding HIV care and support services to improve lives and contribute to the evolving the HIV epidemic,” said Bashirat Olayanju, Senior Director of Care at AFC.

AFC evaluates and awards funding for a suite of HIV services in Cook and surrounding counties through the Ryan White HIV/AIDS program, which distributes $2.3 billion nationwide to fund services specifically for people living with HIV. This federal funding comes from the Illinois and Chicago Departments of Public Health. Awarded organizations were notified on Friday, Dec. 6, and funding will be available to organizations in March or April 2020. The awards are contingent on AFC receiving funding from the Illinois and Chicago Departments of Public Health.

This year, AFC provided funding to seven new organizations: AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Chicago Women’s AIDS Project, Human Resource Development Institute (HRDI), Lawndale Christian Health Center, Men and Women in Prison Ministries, Southshore Hospital and the Will County Health Department.

“Lawndale Christian Health Center is grateful at the opportunity to partner with AIDS Foundation of Chicago in providing the highest quality clinical services to persons on the West Side living with HIV/AIDS,” said Lawndale Christian Health Center’s Chief Clinical Officer of Operations Dr. Wayne Detmer. “Our patients can face significant barriers to accessing health care services, but this funding will allow us to continue offering comprehensive and affordable care within our medical home.”

Across the board, AFC prioritized funding for vital support services, such as mental and psychosocial care, substance use care, food access and non-medical case management, and supported an increase in some case manager salaries.
 

New approach to evaluating services

This year, AFC pursued a three-tier approach to reviewing applications from organizations seeking Ryan White funding. First, applications were evaluated by a panel of community members, who individually scored applications, then discussed those applications as a group, and reached consensus about scores. Second, AFC reviewed past performance of organizations who had previously provided HIV services. Finally, each application was given a Health Equity Score, which was based on key health indicators (including HIV prevalence, health disparities, availability of resources and support services, availability of medical care and more) for each neighborhood served by an organization.

“The Health Equity Score ensures that we’re funding organizations who are providing services to neighborhoods that have been historically under-served by medical services, especially HIV care services,” said Olayanju. The ten neighborhoods whose Health Equity Scores inicated the need for most support are the following: 

• West Garfield Park
• Riverdale
• Englewood
• Washington Park
• North Lawndale
• West Englewood
• East Garfield park
• Greater Grand Crossing
• Oakland
• Austin

"Over the course of the HIV epidemic, the face of people living with HIV and the communities most impacted by it has shifted," said Román Buenrostro, AFC's director of special projects and planning. "We feel very proud that the organizations selected to provide this new level of care reflect the diversity of the communities currently impacted by HIV in Chicago."

While multiple agencies will be providing these lifesaving services across the Chicago area, it is impossible to fill all gaps and serve all people in the region who need HIV care. In the coming year, AFC will be working with funders and partner agencies to identify additional opportunities to strengthen the sector and fund additional services for communities hardest hit by the HIV epidemic.
 

2020 Ryan White awardees

Categorized under AFC news, Case management and Chicago.