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Legislation expanding Medicaid coverage regardless of immigration status passes with a vote of 71-42

April 9, 2022

By Indigo Quashie SPRINGFIELD – HB4343, Medicaid Omnibus & Healthy Illinois for All passed out of the Illinois House of Representatives early morning on April 9 th , 2022 with a vote of 71-42. This bill calls for the expansion of Medicaid coverage across Illinois, as well as reducing Medicaid churn. “COVID-19 has lifted the veil on the importance of access...
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Legislation to Increase Critical Access to HIV Prevention Medications Passes with a House Vote of 72-30

April 8, 2022

By Indigo Quashie  SPRINGFIELD – On April 7 th , 2022, HB4430: Increasing Access to PrEP & PEP Through Community Pharmacies was passed by the Illinois House with a vote of 72-30! Sponsored by State Representative Kelly M. Cassidy (D-Chicago), HB4430 calls for the pharmaceutical dispensation of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP),...
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Legislation supporting LGBTQ+ Older Adults passes the Illinois House with a vote of 71-32

March 31, 2022

By Indigo Quashie SPRINGFIELD—On March 31 st , 2022, SB3490: Disrupting Disparities for LGBTQ+ Older Adults and Older Adults Living With HIV passed out of the Illinois House of Representatives with a bipartisan vote of 71-32 ! This is the first of AIDS Foundation Chicago’s (AFC) 2022 policy priorities to pass both chambers during this year’s state legislative...
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Legislation that increases access to preventative HIV medications passes 14-2 out of Senate Executive Committee

March 24, 2022

By Indigo Quashie Timothy S. Jackson, Director of Government Relations, State Senator Mike Simmons, and State Representative Kelly M. Cassidy following live committee vote SPRINGFIELD – On March 23 rd , 2022, HB4430: Increasing Access to PrEP & PEP Through Community Pharmacies was passed by the Senate Executive Committee on a bipartisan vote of 14-2! Sponsored...
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Meg McElroy looks back on how AFC made her feel like a whole person

March 24, 2022

By Indigo Quashie Meg McElroy, former Manager, Policy and Advocacy On March 10 th , 2022, AIDS Foundation Chicago (AFC) said goodbye to a wonderful team member, Meg McElroy, as she takes her next career step. She worked at this organization for the past three and a half years as the Manager of Policy & Advocacy. Although she was known for her work on Getting to Zero...
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AIDS Foundation Chicago wishes a happy 12th birthday to the Affordable Care Act

March 23, 2022

By Indigo Quashie Increasing access to health insurance coverage and health care services has always been one of AIDS Foundation Chicago’s (AFC) priorities when advocating for a better future for people living with or impacted by HIV. Obtaining quality health insurance in the U.S. is not only a difficult, but a notoriously expensive process for the average person in Illinois...
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Stories from Your Chosen Family

March 21, 2022

By Dr. Nic M. Weststrate I’m a story scientist with an important message:  Storytelling is good for your health . I’m not talking about fairy tales, big fish stories, or other flights of fancy meant to entertain. I’m talking about what happens when you tell  your life story . You see, I belong to a group of researchers—we call ourselves narrative...
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Trans advocate and community leader Elise Malary remembered, honored, and gone too soon

March 21, 2022

By Livvie Avrick Photo taken by Chicago Therapy Collective AFC mourns the loss of Elise Malary, beloved community leader and trans liberation activist. Her body was recovered from Lake Michigan, March 17, 2022. Elise was a cherished Policy and Advocacy Social Media Intern here at AFC From January 2016 to August 2016.  She is remembered fondly by all that...
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2022 Illinois’ HIV Advocacy Day motivates advocates to make 645 connections with their elected officials

March 18, 2022

By Indigo Quashie On March 9, 2022, AIDS Foundation Chicago (AFC) virtually hosted the annual Illinois HIV Advocacy Day in support of the Getting to Zero Illinois Plan (GTZ-IL ) to end the HIV epidemic by 2030. More than 230  advocates from across the state  joined together to take action on AFC’s legislative priorities   by making direct connections with their state...
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Advocate Care

March 18, 2022

By Indigo Quashie   Hey advocates,   In celebration of the success of Illinois HIV Advocacy Day on March 9, 2022, I wanted to discuss the importance of communal support and recovery. Hundreds of you took time out of your Wednesday schedules to advocate for AIDS Foundation Chicago’s (AFC) legislative bills that will get us closer to zero, and I...
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