The AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) is publishing this story in recognition of Mental Illness Awareness Week (October 6 – 12, 2013), an opportunity to deconstruct labels that stigmatize people with mental health diagnoses. Destigmatizing mental illness and promoting the benefits of life-giving treatments is part of AFC's comprehensive approach to ending HIV/AIDS.
Sharon admits...
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November 2012 marked Meaghan Divane’s 25th birthday, but she wasn’t in the mood to celebrate, having just ended a significant—but unhealthy—relationship a few weeks prior.
Still, she toed the starting line in the Hot Chocolate Chicago 5k race without too much expectation. And then she learned what she wanted to do—what she needed to do—for the next 365...
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Since the first official U.S. report of AIDS in 1981, the HIV community has worked to reform our health care system to increase access for those who need it. Today--after three decades of advocacy--it’s finally beginning.
Thanks to Obamacare, which begins enrollment today, people in Illinois and across the nation can see how much health plans will cost, explore coverage options,...
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Lucy Baglin and Suraj Madoori, cohosts of Unwrapping ObamaCare , received an email from a listener who saw gaps in local conversations about the coming changes to our health care system. Instead of responding to the listener by email, they invited him to their studio, so he could share his consumer-level perspective and offer insight to other people with HIV, who will be eligible...
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October 1, 2013—the date’s been circled on our calendars for months. We’ve talked about it in podcasts and spilled ink over it on our blog . October 1, 2013, is opening day for health insurance marketplaces, which are online destinations that will allow consumers to shop for and compare insurance under our reformed health care system.
Sounds great, right? Of course,...
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Starting October 1, online Marketplaces will open across the country to enroll people in ObamaCare, but there are still a lot questions left unanswered. For example, when will the sites go live, and how can people find assistance with enrollment?
Co-hosts Lucy Baglin and Suraj Madoori sit down with Ramon Gardenhire, Director of Government Relations at the AIDS Foundation of Chicago,...
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I have a confession: Before last Saturday, I had never attended a dance performance. Going into Dance for Life , I wasn’t sure what the event would look like or how it would make me feel—or if I would even understand what was happening on the stage. But I needed to go. I wanted to be there.
I’ve always perceived dance as the most intimidating art form. Performers mix...
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Ready or not, ObamaCare is coming, and it's going to help a lot of people obtain health care coverage, especially those who earn low wages and live with HIV/AIDS. Perhaps the greatest resource for these individuals and millions of others is Medicaid.
Many states are expanding their Medicaid programs to cover more people, and they're making this form of public health...
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If it seems like we’re posting a lot of information about health care reform (often referred to as ObamaCare or the Affordable Care Act), it’s because we are. Reforming a nation’s health care system is complex and will affect a lot of people living with HIV — but it doesn’t have to be scary.
AFC has designed a great tool to ensure that your journey to affordable...
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Reforming a nation’s health care system is complex and affects a lot of people—but it doesn’t have to be scary.
The AIDS Foundation of Chicago is launching a new podcast series called Unwrapping ObamaCare , where we dig the most important pieces out of the law and present them in a short, easy-to-understand way. Though we focus much of the conversation...
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