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Regional program supports women in HIV prevention and family planning

March 19, 2015

Too few women living in communities with high rates of HIV receive essential HIV prevention and pregnancy planning information and services. Consequently, both HIV-positive women and HIV-negative women with positive partners are unaware of new prevention strategies that help them stay healthy, reduce HIV transmission and enable safer conception and delivery of HIV-negative babies. The...
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Female condoms take a new spotlight among peer-to-peer health educators

March 10, 2015

Whether lessons come through word-of-mouth, personal experience or in an educational setting, high school is a difficult and exciting time for health education. Peer Health Exchange (PHE), a volunteer-taught health curriculum hopes to shape teens’ conversations around sexual health, mental health and substance use. By recruiting college student volunteers to teach high school-age...
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"This is me; this is who God created." An interview with Rev. Charles Straight

March 5, 2015

Historic Black churches and the HIV awareness movement haven’t always seen eye-to-eye — but when the HIV epidemic today affects the African-American community more than other groups, some see the Black church as the key to raising awareness and reducing stigma around HIV. This reconciliation is exactly what the National Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS (March 1-8) aims...
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Gaining trust is the first step toward helping post-incarcerated clients

March 3, 2015

Stigma: In and Out is a monthly series profiling the clients, providers and leaders of AFC's Corrections Case Management program, which helps HIV-positive people emerging from prison or jail get the support they need upon reentry. Arlette D. Brooks is a woman who has overcome a lot of challenges. She works as a corrections medical case manager with the South Side Help Center (SSHC),...
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How a community leader eliminates stigma, one client at a time

January 29, 2015

Stigma: In and Out is a monthly series profiling the clients, providers and leaders of AFC's Corrections Case Management program, which helps HIV-positive people emerging from prison or jail get the support they need upon reentry. Gaining freedom from jail or prison can be a bittersweet experience for people who were formerly in prison or jail. For most, life is not much better when...
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After the rescue, a new housing program targets HIV-positive youth

January 21, 2015

For years, the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) has partnered with Vida/SIDA — a project of the Puerto Rican Cultural Center — to ensure the health and well-being of the Latino/Latina community by offering free HIV testing, counseling and other services crucial to prevent the transmission of HIV. Under their umbrella falls a program called “El Rescate,” a new initiative...
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15 ways we're changing the HIV epidemic in 2015

January 2, 2015

A new year means new challenges — and new opportunities to make a positive impact on the HIV epidemic. The AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) team has a number of new initiatives planned for 2015, and here are 15 highlights:   15. Prioritizing the health of women and transgender women of color Launching in 2015, Project Elevate will build innovative HIV and STI...
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For Northern Trust, there's more than one way to give to the cause

December 8, 2014

For 25 years, Northern Trust has been a steadfast supporter of the fight to end the HIV epidemic — and support those living with the virus. Ever since making its first charitable contribution to the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) in 1989, Northern Trust has demonstrated its commitment to improving the quality of life of people living with and vulnerable to HIV in communities across Chicago...
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Staying afloat - and helping others tread water as they manage their HIV status

December 4, 2014

For some people living with HIV and AIDS, staying afloat each day is no easy task. But when they have a counselor and peer in the water with them, it can make treading water that much easier. As a health educator for Project VIDA, John Dawkins is one of those people who jumps in the water with his clients and tread the waters with them. He’s been in the water by himself —...
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AFC commemorates World AIDS Day with new website, World of Chocolate and more

November 29, 2014

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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