This week, Ramon Gardenhire walked through the doors leading to the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC)’s headquarters on Jackson Blvd. It’s something he has done many times for years, but today things are different: AFC has a new president/CEO, a new office floor, many new staff members — and now, a new leader of its Policy team.
Gardenhire, who served as AFC’s...
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The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) released in late November a concept paper describing how Medicaid Health Homes might be implemented in Illinois. Health Homes are authorized under the Affordable Care Act to provide care coordination to people with two or more chronic diseases, or one chronic disease and increased vulnerability for another one.
The federal...
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Each year, Dec. 1 offers the world an opportunity to ponder the HIV epidemic and remember the millions who have died from HIV-related complications over the last 30 years. On World AIDS Day, people around the globe will take a moment to consider the impact this virus has had on the course of human history — and look ahead to the future and a world without new HIV transmissions.
The...
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The largest and longest running national coalition of community-based HIV/AIDS organizations, AIDS United (AU), is calling for the scale-up of pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP. AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) is a long-standing member of AU’s Public Policy Committee (PPC) and is a local, national and international leader on new HIV prevention technologies, including PrEP.
PrEP,...
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The AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) congratulates Illinois Governor-Elect Bruce Rauner on his victory last night. We and the community of HIV advocates stand ready to assist the governor-elect’s transition team as they plan for the new administration.
HIV and public health are not partisan issues. Every HIV infection averted through strong prevention programs saves the state over...
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H.R. 5640 would reauthorize the Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS program and update the program’s funding formula
The AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) thanks Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill., for introducing H.R. 5640, the Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS (HOPWA) Modernization Act . The bipartisan bill would reauthorize the HOPWA program and update the program’s...
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CHICAGO —HIV/AIDS activists have found a unique way to pressure the U.S. to prioritize and address rising rates of HIV among communities of color. In a report submitted to the United Nations, a national coalition of HIV/AIDS advocacy organizations details the disparate impact of HIV/AIDS on communities of color, and identifies the lack of U.S. action on social drivers of the epidemic in those...
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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...
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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,...
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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...
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