HR0362 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0362 LRB094 12164 HSS 45581 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year; and

WHEREAS, The AFC was founded by four dedicated community activists and physicians, Dr. Ron Sable, Dr. Renslow Sherer, Judy Carter, and William Young, in 1985 to respond to the emerging devastation of AIDS; the mission of the organization is to lead the fight against HIV/AIDS and improve the lives of people affected by the epidemic; and

WHEREAS, The problem of HIV/AIDS continues to impact communities in Illinois, nationally, and around the world; an estimated 35,000 Illinoisans are living with HIV/AIDS, and about 70% of these individuals live in Chicago, Cook County, and the collar counties, the AIDS Foundation of Chicago's service area; over half of reported AIDS cases in 2003 were among men who have sex with men, and over one-quarter were among injection drug users; and

WHEREAS, People of color are disproportionately impacted by HIV/AIDS; African-Americans make up just over half of the State's reported AIDS cases, and one in six is Latino; two-thirds of Illinois women living with HIV/AIDS are African-American; and

WHEREAS, The AFC created the Service Providers Council in 1986 to bring together community agencies in the fight against AIDS; the Service Providers Council today unites agencies from a nine-county Chicago metropolitan area delivering services to people with HIV/AIDS; the Service Providers Council shares best practices and ensures efficient service delivery and consistency of services; and

WHEREAS, The AFC convened the region's HIV/AIDS case management system, which is renowned as a national model in service integration; the system serves HIV-positive people who struggle with homelessness, mental illness, addiction, poverty, and other health concerns; more than 5,000 individuals receive assistance from the system's 165 case managers working at 49 agencies across metropolitan Chicago; and

WHEREAS, The AFC's grant making program began in 1988 and is today the Midwest's largest source of private funding for local AIDS organizations; the program has distributed more than $14 million for HIV prevention, care, and advocacy projects, and in 2004 provided 61 local AIDS agencies $1.2 million in grant funding; and

WHEREAS, Each month the AFC mobilizes thousands of AIDS advocates to address local, State, and federal HIV/AIDS policy issues; disseminating accurate and timely information about trends in the epidemic is an important way the AFC builds pubic and private support for the fight against HIV/AIDS; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the AIDS Foundation of Chicago on the occasion of the agency's 20th anniversary; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the AIDS Foundation of Chicago as an expression of our esteem and with best wishes for the organization's future success.