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A day in the life of a case manager

August 20, 2018

The AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) coordinates 135 case managers throughout the Chicago metropolitan area to support clients who are living with HIV and related chronic diseases. Case managers are there to connect with clients directly and help them achieve goals such as obtaining stable housing or getting connected to a medical provider that may help them reach an undetectable viral load...
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HIV Prevention Justice Alliance says "farewell for now"

August 13, 2018

HIV Prevention Justice Alliance (HIV-PJA) started 11 years ago with the “radical notice” that all people should be treated equitably, and all people deserve social justice. This 13,000-person network was born intentions to unite advocates across the country to address the intersections of HIV/AIDS and economic, racial and social justice.  We are saddened to announce that...
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This ‘magnetic couple’ runs to end stigma

August 9, 2018

Brandon My name is Brandon Strawn, and I pride myself on being an educator, a musician and a delight.  In 2005, I came out as gay, and in 2009, I had my first HIV test. At this point in my life, I was a fairly chaste first-year teacher who spent his days teaching and his nights preparing for more teaching. So when the test came back positive, I was shocked and devastated. ...
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AFC issues FOIA request to support Medicaid recipients

August 8, 2018

UPDATE 9/7/2018:  The response we received from both departments failed to directly answer the questions presented to them, calling the request  “overly time consuming and unduly burdensome”. In response to this,  AFC has made a request to the Illinois attorney general's Office of Public Access Counselor  to determine whether DHS and HFS violated...
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“One little prick of the finger determined my life”

July 30, 2018

By Raven Feagins Hataria James is an outgoing, loving mother of 6 with a passion for giving back to her community. While she is in an incredibly stable place in her life right now, 16 years ago she would have never imagined where she is at today.  Hataria currently works at Men & Women in Prison Ministries (MWIPM) , an organization dedicated to supporting the health, wellness...
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Paying the Price: the truth about HCV treatment on Medicaid

July 27, 2018

By Ashley Brown UPDATE: In November 2018, the Illinois Department of Health and Family Services (HFS) announced that a hepatitis C cure would be accessible for thousands more Illinoisans on Medicaid, many of whom were previously denied treatment until they reached end-stage disease. Learn more here . If you are on Medicaid in Illinois and have hepatitis C, be prepared to wait...
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AFC Statement Against Trump Administration’s Policy Banning People living with HIV from Military Service

July 25, 2018

The Department of Defense released the “Deploy or Get Out!” policy, effective Oct. 1, which directs the Pentagon to discharge service members who can’t be deployed outside of the U.S. for more than 12 consecutive months. Due to an antiquated policy dating back to the early days of the epidemic, service members living with HIV are considered non-deployable. An estimated 1,200...
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His Lifelong Journey to Being Poz and Proud

July 18, 2018

By Rae Colyer My name is Rae Colyer, and I am the youngest of twelve. Out of all my siblings, I happen to be closest with Marlin Jr., my eldest brother (he’s got fifteen and half years on me)! Both of us identify as queer individuals; me as a genderqueer pansexual, he as a gay man. If it were not for his guidance, and his own trials and tribulations coming out, I have no idea where...
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Why we love sex ed (and you should, too): A case for more comprehensive, evidence-based sex ed in schools

July 9, 2018

By Clair Daney This spring, Baltimore made headlines as a federal judge ordered the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to restore $5 million in grant funding it had withheld without explanation from two local evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention programs.  This story has been a single outgrowth amid the Trump administration’s broader push to eliminate science-based,...
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Supporting my uncle means supporting a community

June 27, 2018

By Isabella Guzman I was invited and inspired by my uncle, Armando Ramirez, whom I love very much, to participate in AIDS Run & Walk Chicago 6 years ago. He was diagnosed with HIV 14 years ago. All I knew at that time was that I was going to be supportive and have fun with my mom and uncles. I would get my own shirt and my own running number and that was exciting in itself! My...
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