March 23, 2023 marks the 13th anniversary of the passing of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). With the passage of this important piece of legislation, millions of Americans became eligible for health insurance. Yet 13 years later, millions are still at a loss as to what is and is not covered under the ACA, who qualifies for coverage and most importantly, how to get coverage. With that in...
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My Marathon Journey of Recovery at the Chicago Triathlon
I fell in love with endurance sports in 2001, the same year I fell in love with crystal meth. The first love affair began during my training for the Heartland AIDS Ride, a 550-mile bike ride from St. Paul to Chicago. The second took off during a night of partying in Boystown. My relationship with endurance sports continued...
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By Livvie Avrick
Life is Work, a non-profit organization that serves the Black transgender and non-binary community in Chicago, goes beyond providing tangible services; it provides hope, liberation, encouragement. Life is Work creates visibility and changes the narrative for trans people.
For Dymond Haynes, program coordinator at Life is Work, having visibility is hope...
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AIDS Foundation Chicago is excited to welcome five new individuals to our Board of Directors. Our 29-member Board of Directors contributes to the vision and leadership of AFC, comprised of individuals with unique perspectives and lived experiences, working towards helping us achieve our goals of equity and justice.
Nnenna Okeke’s professional...
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Pictured L to R: John Peller, Anne Statton, Mark Ishaug
On March 2nd, Mother and Child Alliance presented AIDS Foundation Chicago with an award recognizing their 20+ years of partnership helping mothers living with HIV deliver healthy babies.
Mother and Child Alliance (MACA), formerly known as Pediatric AIDS Chicago Prevention...
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To realize the priorities and goals of the Getting to Zero Illinois (GTZ-IL) plan to end the HIV epidemic by 2030, AIDS Foundation Chicago (AFC) is proud to advocate and prioritize the following state legislative agenda in partnership with and through the leadership of community organizations and coalitions across Illinois. For more specific information about the legislation highlighted...
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Speaking before a joint session of the Illinois General Assembly for the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor JB Pritzker delivered his annual State of the State and Budget address on February 15, 2023. With an outlook for “better outcomes and better futures for Illinoisans,” Governor Pritzker outlined his $49.6 billion Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) budget that...
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By Tyline Burgess
I have never liked the sound of my own voice, which is why I have chosen to amplify the voices of others throughout my work in design and writing, and now at AIDS Foundation Chicago (AFC). When I began my journey as the Communications Manager at AFC, I was tasked with the daunting responsibility of maintaining and updating our official...
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By Livvie Avrick
Meet Chef Blāque, award-winning sugar artist and founder of Black Rose Pastries -- and one of the chocolatiers for this year’s World of Chocolate on February 17th. He is the winner of Netflix’s “Sugar Rush” and participant and judge on Food Network and other baking competition shows. We talked with Chef Blāque about why he enjoys participating...
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Racism is a public health crisis. This is evident in the decades of public health data that show disproportionate levels of morbidity and mortality among people of color, and in particular Black and Latino/a/e/x people. These trends are rooted in the legacy of racism and the extent to which it has permeated into public health, health care, and other systems. Beyond health care, we have...
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