HIV-AIDS
Combating HIV Stigma
This story was originally published in Legal Council’s 2020 Annual Report. Much has changed for people living with HIV since the beginning of the epidemic, but much also remains the same. While we know more about transmission and medical treatment, ignorance and miseducation around HIV continue to fuel stigma against the virus and those who…
Read MoreAdvocates and Legislators Introduce Bill to Decriminalize HIV in Illinois
A new bill in Illinois aims to end criminal penalties against people living with HIV.
Read MoreWorld AIDS Day: Living With HIV in 2020
Legal Council attorney Jessica Rhoades explores issues facing our clients with HIV in 2020.
Read MoreCOVID-19 and HIV: Important Changes to Ryan White
Ryan White funds have made changes to help people with HIV during the COVID-19 crisis.
Read MoreBuilding Better and Healthier Communities: Chancelor’s Story
This story was originally published in Legal Council’s 2019 Annual Report. In 1991, Chancelor Cunningham woke up and couldn’t breathe. Initially, a doctor misdiagnosed him with bronchitis. Later, when things weren’t improving, a new doctor changed the diagnosis to pneumonia and admitted him to a hospital in Bronzeville for an extended stay. “They told me I…
Read MoreClient Focus: Quinn
Quinn, 35, was a single mother raising two children on the south side of Chicago who was hit with an unexpected life storm. Throughout her life she was diagnosed with several mental illnesses, depression, and anxiety. But a late diagnosis of HIV caused the biggest shift of all.
Read MoreYou Have One Week Left to Get Affordable Health Coverage
Guest blog author: Marina Kurakin, Legal Advocate and Health Insurance Specialist Six years ago, the Affordable Care Act (ACA, or Obamacare) broadened access to medical care for millions of Americans. Over those years, I’ve helped with more than 4,000 enrollments. I started this work before the ACA, when individuals couldn’t get approved for insurance because of…
Read MoreHIV Prevention Treatment Isn’t ‘Political.’ It’s Life-Saving.
Preventing HIV transmission is deemed too ‘political’ for social media, according to a recent incident with Facebook and Instagram. Social media sites have been placed squarely in the news with the growing controversy over their handling of political advertisements. Facebook has been the most notable culprit, as they have made it company policy to publish…
Read MoreEnding HIV Transmission In the US: Preparing with PrEP
More than 200,000 people in the U.S. have taken PrEP, but there are more than a million individuals at risk for HIV. Many could benefit from PrEP treatment.
Read MoreNew Statewide Coalition Created to End Criminalization of People Living With HIV
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 2019 CONTACT: illinois.haa@gmail.com New Statewide Coalition Created to End Criminalization of People Living With HIV Chicago, Ill.-The Illinois HIV Action Alliance is a new statewide coalition of legal, health, policy organizations, and other advocates – launched today in an organized effort to end HIV criminalization in Illinois. Currently, Illinois law criminalizes…
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