Hundreds of Illinois AIDS Advocates Rally at Capitol for
Increased Funding for HIV Testing and Critical Healthcare Expansion

Leaders from across the State Gather for 8th Annual HIV/AIDS Lobby Day

Springfield, IL- More than 150 AIDS advocates gathered in the State Capitol rotunda today to demand a critical $2M budget appropriation to expand voluntary HIV testing services across Illinois, as well as advocate for bills to prevent drug overdose deaths and to grant health care coverage to poor Illinoisans ineligible for public assistance. The rally was part of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago’s Eighth Annual Illinois HIV/AIDS Lobby Day.

Joining advocates at the rally were Illinois State Representatives Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago), Karen Yarbrough (D-Broadview), as well as Illinois State Senator David Koehler (D-Peoria).

“An estimated 10,000 Illinoisans are unaware that they are HIV positive. This represents nearly a quarter of all HIV/AIDS infections in Illinois,” said Mark Ishaug, executive director of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago. “Voluntary testing with informed, written consent is critical to increasing the number of people who know their status, so that they can get the medical care they need to live longer and healthier lives. Last year, the State took an important step forward in passing a law to modernize state testing laws. Unfortunately, the funding to make this modernization possible remains extremely inadequate. That’s why we are calling on the General Assembly today to appropriate $2 million to expand voluntary testing services across Illinois.”

The more than 150 AIDS advocates also spoke to their legislators about two Senate bills critical to HIV/AIDS prevention and care in Illinois. The first, SB 2155, recognizes that overdose deaths among injection drug users can be easily and cheaply prevented. One dose of the prescription drug naloxone reverses an opiate overdose and costs less than $2.

However, no protections currently exist for lay community members who administer naloxone or for the medical professionals who train them. SB 2155 grants limited Good Samaritan protections to health care professionals and lay community members trained to use naloxone.

The second bill would extend critical medical coverage to adults living below 100 percent of the federal poverty line who are ineligible for any current public health care coverage. The AIDS Foundation of Chicago is partnering with Health and Disability Advocates in supporting SB 1925, which would provide comprehensive medical benefits to the 338,000 impoverished Illinoisans ineligible for Medicaid, thousands of whom are living with HIV or AIDS.

The night preceding the rally, the AFC honored several of HIV/AIDS advocates for their barrier-breaking work in downstate Illinois. During a reception the evening of April 1, the AFC presented Marla Francisco of Rantoul with the 4th annual Mary Dixon Advocacy Award.

Francisco serves as a client representative for the Champaign/Urbana HIV consortium, where she has left a significant impact on the HIV/AIDS community with a simple and effective advocacy strategy. “The more I spread the word, the better” she said.

The AFC also recognized an eclectic group from Rockford with the 2nd annual Hector Hernandez Scholarship. “Common Ground” is a support group for HIV-positive individuals begun by JBryan Latham, executive director of the Total Health Awareness Team. “Common Ground” members represent a rainbow of groups affected by the AIDS epidemic, including the partners of HIV/AIDS patients.

“It’s an amazing hodgepodge of almost every major group affected by the epidemic,” said Latham. “They are extremely excited about being here in Springfield—it’s like we’re taking a trip to Six Flags.”

Illinois HIV/AIDS Lobby Day is organized by the AIDS Foundation of Chicago and sponsored by Boehringer-Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Chicago Department of Public Health, Carolyn Grisko & Associates, C&M Pharmacy, Gilead Sciences, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, and Pfizer Inc.

Founded in 1985 by community activists and physicians, the AIDS Foundation of Chicago is a local and national leader in the fight against HIV/AIDS. AFC collaborates with community organizations to develop and improve HIV/AIDS services; funds and coordinates prevention, care, and advocacy projects; and champions effective, compassionate HIV/AIDS policy.

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