By Ashley Slupski
First of all, congratulations! You did it! You took the first of many steps to living your healthiest life by getting health care coverage (and avoiding a hefty tax penalty).
If you missed the Open Enrollment deadline, you may still be qualified for a Special Enrollment period because of a life change or a loss of insurance coverage. This year, a special enrollment...
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By Brian Solem
Housing and health are inseparably linked. You’re more likely to be in consistently good health if your housing costs (rent or mortgage plus utilities, groceries and other household needs) take up a limited slice ( 30% by most estimates ) of your overall budget. If you are barely making ends meet, your health might show it, and you become more susceptible to unstable...
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By Will Wilson
Longtime HIV advocate and Chicago resident Will Wilson was invited to share his first-person account of using Medicaid and Affordable Care Act services to the people in charge of nationwide Medicare and Medicaid services.
It was cold, dark, and I was up way earlier than normal. Still, I was excited. I was heading to Washington D.C. to share my story with Calder...
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By Raven Feagins
Until the age of 45, Latesha never had a place of her own. For years, she relied on friends and acquaintances to have a safe place to sleep at night, but, when she wasn’t lucky enough to find someone to stay with, she resorted to sleeping on the streets of Chicago.
“I was always here, here, here and here. Each time there were setbacks after setbacks,”...
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By Raven Feagins
As advocates, we work hard to ensure the rights of our communities are protected. Despite the whirlwind that was 2017 (a.k.a. the year that made me question my faith in humanity), together we did have some wins.
Below are six major victories we've achieved this year.
1. The ACA is still the law!
One of the biggest challenges this year has...
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By Raven Feagins
Veronica* is the loving matriarch of her Chicago-area family. When she’s not taking care of two of her grandchildren, her mom and her aunt, she works as a talented seamstress. She’s open with her family about most things - except her own health status.
Veronica is living with HIV and has for the past 20 years. Most of her family, except her husband, don’t...
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By Raven Feagins
Imagine a world where the people from communities most affected by HIV are leading the HIV workforce to end the epidemic. That’s the world Anthony Betori, Youth Program Manager at Chicago House and Social Service Agency, is striving to create with their new Community Health Apprenticeship program (CHAP). This 8-week training helps committed young people get their...
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By Jim Pickett
On Sept. 22, 2017, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the world’s foremost health authority, released one of the most important paragraphs they’ve ever written:
"Scientific advances have shown that antiretroviral therapy (ART) preserves the health of people living with HIV . We also have strong evidence of the prevention effectiveness...
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by Raven Feagins
Illinois is #GettingtoZero to put an end to the HIV epidemic in our state. Below, our community members and staff shared their thoughts on this new initiative and what getting to zero new cases of HIV in Illinois means for them.
Want to join us in #GettingtoZero? RSVP for our first town hall on Wednesday, Dec. 13 to share your hopes...
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Thirty years ago, getting into your 50s or 60s – let alone 70s or 80s – wasn’t seen as possible for people living with HIV. Thanks to powerful HIV medications, people with the virus are living longer and longer. That doesn’t make the aging process any easier, though — in some ways, aging with HIV is different than for people who are HIV-negative.
Recently,...
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