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From the darkness of loss, new love emerges

September 12, 2016

Chicagoan Lindsay Mitchell recounts her connection to the HIV cause and to AIDS Run & Walk Chicago, which she has participated in for more than a decade. Mitchell also celebrates that which she has gained as a result of her volunteer work at Bonaventure House: a life-long love. I run in the AIDS Run & Walk Chicago every year in memory of my father-in-law, who died of AIDS-related...
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AFC and national partners file complaint against Humana and other discriminatory insurers

September 6, 2016

AFC partners with Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation of Harvard Law School launching groundbreaking campaign to enforce health care rights for people living with HIV in Illinois Click here to read the full Complaint. In the face of highly restrictive and discriminatory health insurance plans within the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces, the AIDS Foundation of...
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Five things providers said about PrEP at a family planning conference

August 25, 2016

by Sara Semelka and Pamela Tassin During the last week of July, Sara Semelka and Pamela Tassin from the AIDS Foundation of Chicago’s Midwest HIV Prevention and Pregnancy Planning Initiative (MHPPPI) and #PrEP4Love projects participated in the 2016 National Reproductive Health Conference , hosted by the National Clinical Training Center for Family Planning. They spent three days...
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AFC thought leaders to present at nine health conferences this fall

August 17, 2016

Continuing its legacy as a collaboration and knowledge center in Chicago, thought leaders from the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) will be representing dynamic programs from across the organizations at state, national and international conferences this autumn. To learn more about abstracts and presenters, email us .   Conference...
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#TeamJessica walks toward hope and away from stigma

August 10, 2016

by Eryn MacNeil “I was only 22 when I was diagnosed. I was young and I felt it. But everyone’s just trying to learn how to live, and now I’m just learning how to live a little differently.” Jessica was diagnosed with HIV at the age of 22 when she visited the doctor to have her lymph nodes examined. What seemed like a mundane check-up quickly turned...
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Elevating dancers and the cause through 25th Dance for Life production

August 5, 2016

For Harrison McEldowney, a 35-year veteran of the dance scene, there is no feeling quite like dance. “It gives you an elevated sense of your being,” said McEldowney, his voice increasing in speed and energy as he recalled the sensation. “It’s an incredible feeling — a natural high.” He has been fueled by that natural high as a dancer in New York,...
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AFC and Howard Brown Health laud Illinois Medicaid for expanding access to HIV treatments

August 1, 2016

The AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) and Howard Brown Health commend the recent decision by Felicia Norwood, Director of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS), on conducting a comprehensive review of HIV medications covered on the fee-for-service formulary, and adding new HIV treatments to the preferred drug list (PDL). Specially, HFS added an antiretroviral class to...
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Band together, Illinois: AIDS Run & Walk Chicago unites thousands in the HIV community on Saturday, Oct. 1

July 29, 2016

This  year’s AIDS Run & Walk Chicago , emphasizing  the importance of unity and partnership in responding to health crises , will be held  on the morning of Saturday, Oct. 1 ,  at Chicago’s Soldier Field. Inspired by the kaleidoscopic effect of  last year’s  athletes donning  COLORbands  (elastic...
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What four days in DC and Chicago taught me about the LGBTQ community

July 28, 2016

by Jacina Sims What a weekend! Over the course of four days, I graduated with my Master of Public Health degree, traveled to DC among young leaders in the Black LGBTQ movement, and mourned as I heard about the horrible massacre in Orlando. As a Master of Public Health practicum intern at AFC, I have witnessed and been a part of many powerful moments. I enjoyed my time working...
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DNC includes landmark statement on HIV/AIDS in 2016 platform

July 26, 2016

By Ramon Gardenhire, Vice President of Policy and Advocacy As the co-chair of AIDS United’s non-partisan Public Policy, Elections Sub-Committee, and working in partnership with a coalition of nearly 70 organizations, I traveled across the country to meet with the presidential candidates to influence inclusion of HIV/AIDS policy language within each party’s platform and campaign...
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