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...
Human Service Appropriations Chairs Rep. Greg Harris and Sen. Heather Steans champions of HIV/AIDS funding
SPRINGFIELD — Amid partisan turmoil in the statehouse, the Illinois General Assembly voted in its last days of session in May to increase funding for HIV/AIDS services in the 2015 budget by $1 million. This move comes after weeks of uncertainty about the future of HIV/AIDS...
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...
Announcement sets stage for better HIV medication coverage in 2015
CHICAGO — In a statement issued on May 23 , Illinois Department of Insurance (DOI) Director Andrew Boron informs insurers that the department will not permit health insurance plans that discriminate against people living with HIV/AIDS to be sold on the Illinois Health Insurance Marketplace in 2015...
Read more...
To help people with HIV choose Medicaid and Medicare-Medicaid Alignment Initiative HMO plans in Illinois, AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) has collected and published information on HIV medication coverage for each plan. These plans are available for people on Medicaid because they are disabled, on Medicaid and Medicare (“dual-eligible”), or who enrolled through the Affordable Care...
Read more...
More than 80 HIV/AIDS health organizations, including AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC), announced their support for new guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that recommend use of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) as one prevention option for adults “at substantial risk of HIV acquisition.”
PrEP is a once-a-day regimen of anti-HIV medication, Truvada,...
Read more...
CHICAGO — AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) and its allies in the public health field arena urge Illinois legislators to prevent major program cuts — including a massive $4 million cut to critical HIV/AIDS services for people in Illinois — by extending a temporary state income tax rate.
This month, Illinois state legislators are faced with the question of whether to make permanent...
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...
Through its innovative Community Direct beneficiary program, the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) invites HIV/AIDS organizations to raise funds for their own programs and services at AIDS Run & Walk Chicago .
Last year, the 34 Community Direct partner organizations raised a combined $280,000.
"AIDS Run & Walk is a tremendous opportunity for HIV/AIDS organizations to increase...
Read more...
