News

News: Prevention

How Life is Work is supporting transgender and gender non-binary communities of color

December 15, 2021

By Ella Shapiro  Growing up  in Garfield Park, Zahara Bassett remembers having to frequently travel to the North Side of Chicago to access gender-affirming spaces and receive medical care, food and housing assistance. Despite loving her neighborhood, it was clear to Zahara, as a Black transgender woman, that...
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Three ways the GTZ-IL Dashboard can help you

December 9, 2021

By Brian Solem When I hear the word “dashboard,” the first thing that comes to mind is the illuminating glow of a car’s control panel, telling me how fast I’m going,  what song is playing and whether I need to refill my gas tank (usually, the answer is “yes”).  The Getting to Zero Illinois (GTZ-IL) Dashboard...
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Living Our Best Sexual Lives in the After Times

June 24, 2021

By Jim Pickett,  Senior Director Prevention Advocacy and Gay Men’s Health  at  AIDS Foundation Chicago The last time I  wrote  about safer sex and pleasure during COVID-19  – last April (in other words, three lifetimes ago)  –   I focused on lots of tasty treats on the sexual menu .  ...
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Some young gay men of color found it easier to adhere to bimonthly injections rather than daily pills in recent PrEP study

October 20, 2020

By Bailey Williams Currently, there are two FDA-approved pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) drugs available for HIV-negative people looking to prevent HIV transmission. These include Truvada, a generic equivalent to Truvada from Teva Pharmaceuticals (just made available October 1), and Descovy. Each of these drugs typically require daily dosing - meaning individuals take one pill each day coupled...
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Before you book your next gynecology appointment, read this (doctors, you too)

July 16, 2020

By Bailey Williams   It happens once a year: The pesky little reminder goes off in your phone letting you know it’s time to schedule your annual gynecology exam. You try to mentally prepare yourself, but this visit, your OB-GYN says something unexpected. “Have you heard of PrEP?” When you shake your head, she goes on to inform you that PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis)...
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New form of injectable PrEP shown to work among certain populations, paving way for expanded HIV prevention buffet

May 19, 2020

AIDS Foundation Chicago (AFC) applauds the HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN), the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and ViiV Healthcare for demonstrating that injections of long-acting cabotegravir (CAB-LA), delivered every other month, appear to be safe and highly effective in preventing HIV in gay and bisexual cisgender men and transgender women who have sex with men. This...
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Sexperts! Know your options for HIV prevention!

April 9, 2020

Remember when we could swipe through Tinder, meet up with someone new and later have an amazing sexual encounter? Though the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is keeping us indoors, the time will come when we're able to enjoy in-person sex outside our homes. When that day arrives, you'll want to know what preventive options are available.  Thankfully, you have options to prevent...
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Study shows PrEP4Love campaign reaches millions of individuals to build awareness about vital HIV-prevention tool

June 19, 2019

A recent study by the Chicago Center for HIV Elimination at the University of Chicago reveals the PrEP4Love social marketing campaign generated roughly 41 million unique views across various social media platforms within four months of its pilot launch across Chicago.    In 2016, the Chicago PrEP Working Group (now the Illinois PrEP working Group) launched PrEP4Love , a citywide,...
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You know about PrEP, but have you heard of PEP?

May 24, 2019

Let’s say you went out yesterday for a night on the town, but you didn’t use a condom, the condom broke or something else unexpected happened during your night out like sharing needles while injecting drugs. Or perhaps you feel bad or confused about the sex you had in the moment or the morning after or you were a victim of sexual assault. Now 5 Fast Facts About...
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AFC responds to Gilead's commitment to making free PrEP available across U.S.

May 10, 2019

On May 9, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Gilead Sciences announced that Gilead will provide free PrEP to 200,000 uninsured people on an annual basis. While there are many details to be determined, the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) is cautiously optimistic that this move will expand access to PrEP for people who are most vulnerable to HIV.   Free...
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