aidsconnect's blog

“Mayor Emanuel provided hopeful signs for an aggressive reform agenda on HIV and related concerns.”

By Keith R. Green, AFC Federal Affairs Director

On May 16, 2011, I had the privilege of attending the City of Chicago’s inauguration ceremony where 50 City Council members, citywide officials, and the Honorable Rahm Emanuel, Chicago’s newest Mayor, took the oath of office.

In his remarks, Mayor Emanuel assured the public of his keen understanding of this great city’s enduring assets and pressing challenges.  For me and tens of thousands of other HIV-affected Chicagoans, how the new Mayor confronts HIV and other public health concerns will be an important measure of his Administration’s leadership.

Female Condom Campaigns across the Country Commend Walgreens as First Pharmacy to Make New Female Condom Available at Select Locations Nationwide

Sexual health providers and advocates around the country are celebrating expanded access to a critical addition in the HIV prevention toolkit: the female condom.  The second generation female condom, or FC2, is now stocked at 400 Walgreens locations.  The cost of a pack of three condoms ranges between $5.99 and $7.99, about a third of the cost of the original version of the female condom.  Consumers can also purchase female condoms at Walgreens.com. 

“Limited access to female condoms has long been a barrier to use.  The Chicago Female Condom Campaign commends Walgreens for making a business decision that will help women and men across the U.S. access the prevention tools they need to stay healthy,” says Jessica Terlikowski, co-founder and chair of the Chicago Female Condom Campaign. “HIV prevention educators, advocates, and service providers are proud to have a private sector partner like Walgreens prioritize the public’s health. We urge other commercial pharmacies to follow Walgreens commitment to reduce new HIV and STI infections and make the new female condom available in their stores.”

Via The Chicago Sun-Times by Monifa Thomas

Beginning this summer, the state will tighten its eligibility requirements for the financially-strapped AIDS Drug Assistance Program.

The program’s current income limit for eligibility is 500 percent of the federal poverty level, or $54,450 for a single individual.

After July 1, only HIV-positive people whose income is at or below 300 percent of the poverty level ($32,670) will be eligible to apply, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

The change will not affect people already enrolled in the program, which subsidizes prescription drug costs for 4,100 Illinois residents a month.

The HIV Meds Access Campaign is asking people living with HIV/AIDS to share their stories about accessing medication and health care services. These personal anecdotes help us creatively and effectively demonstrate to state and federal lawmakers why programs that provide medication and care are critical for people living with HIV/AIDS.

ItGetsBetter.org—the revolutionary online video project designed to draw attention to bullying and abuse of LGBT youth—jumped from the internet to bookshelves across the country this month with the publication of an anthology of essays edited by Dan Savage and his partner Terry Miller.  Like its online counterpart, the hardback It Gets Better is  drawing much needed national focus to the plight of LGBT youth who all too often face horrendous verbal and physical abuse from their peers and adults, including parents, teachers, and family members. 

A tragic consequence of anti-gay bullying is the endemic rates of suicide and attempted suicide among LGBT youth.  However, the accumulated harms on young people do not end there.  Increasingly, behavioral scientists are documenting an array of adverse health impacts directly related to growing up in an anti-gay environment.  For example, surveys show that gay/bisexual men harassed or physically attacked as youth (including at home) have higher rates of unprotected sex, HIV acquisition, depression, substance use, and partner violence than their peers who did not grow up in such hostile environments.

A year ago, the new national health reform law—the Affordable Care Act—passed Congress, offering the potential to transform the fight against the HIV epidemic by reducing deaths and new infections.

But some members of Congress aren’t telling the truth about how their constituents will benefit from health reform. They want to repeal the new program and starve it of funding.

Send a message to your member of Congress: Fully implement health reform now!

On March 15 in Springfield, Senate Bill 1619, the Illinois Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) Act, passed out of the Senate Public Health committee. This is a great first step towards comprehensive sexual health education in Illinois schools. SB 1619 is moving to the full Senate; we need your help to make it a reality for Illinois youth.

Take action now and send your state senator a letter urging him/her to vote yes on SB 1619.

There are two important changes to Illinois ADAP that will benefit people with HIV who get their medications from either private insurance or Medicare.  In addition, a third change may make it possible for people on ADAP to afford comprehensive health insurance under the new Illinois Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan. 

The AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) regularly surveys candidates on AIDS-related policies and publishes the results to educate voters and the general public. AFC mailed the survey to the 243 candidates in the City of Chicago election running for city council, and all candidates for mayor.

Are you ready for the Chicago mayoral and aldermanic elections on February 22? If not, don’t worry, we got you covered!

Register to vote by mail by January 25, 2011 by submitting this registration form (also available in Spanish).  After the form is processed you will be mailed a new voter card.