Full Text of HR0603 101st General Assembly
HR0603 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
| | HR0603 | | LRB101 15035 MST 64553 r |
|
| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The Illinois Department of Public Health has | 3 | | determined that African American and Latinx at-risk | 4 | | populations are
among the five demographics selected for | 5 | | funding beginning early 2019 in support of Community
| 6 | | Development initiatives; it is imperative that the voices of | 7 | | those most imminently affected by this
crucial health issue be | 8 | | heard before any funding is considered; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, The most recent and available statistics place HIV | 10 | | disease as one of the top five leading causes of death in
| 11 | | African American women between the ages of 35 to 44 and the | 12 | | seventh ranking cause in African American women
between the | 13 | | ages of 20 to 34; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, According to the Chicago Department of Public | 15 | | Health, this city's African Americans are afflicted with
more | 16 | | than half of the newly diagnosed HIV and AIDS cases; | 17 | | non-Hispanic African Americans were the most
frequently | 18 | | diagnosed population, representing 58.5% of new HIV diagnoses, | 19 | | 56.4% of AIDS diagnoses, and 55.2%
of late diagnoses; and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, In 2016, the highest rates of new individual HIV | 21 | | infection diagnoses occurred in the predominantly
African | 22 | | American neighborhoods of Douglas, Grand Boulevard, Kenwood, |
| | | HR0603 | - 2 - | LRB101 15035 MST 64553 r |
|
| 1 | | North Lawndale, Washington Park, and
West Garfield Park; and | 2 | | WHEREAS, It is imperative that action be taken to halt new | 3 | | HIV infections among these demonstrably at-risk
African | 4 | | American men and women, which continue at an alarming rate that | 5 | | exceeds 80% while new cases of
infections among the | 6 | | corresponding at-risk Caucasian demographic have dramatically | 7 | | decreased to a current rate of
less than 20%; and | 8 | | WHEREAS, Hispanics/Latinos recently accounted for about | 9 | | one quarter of all new diagnoses of HIV in the
United States, | 10 | | despite representing about 18% of the total U.S. population; | 11 | | and | 12 | | WHEREAS, More than 20% of people living with HIV in the | 13 | | City of Chicago identify as Latinx, with the
highest risk and | 14 | | most marginalized subpopulations (injection drug users, sexual | 15 | | and gender minorities,
etc.) exclusively depending on | 16 | | indigenous-led and staffed organizations for services; and | 17 | | WHEREAS, Young men ages 20 to 29, especially Black and | 18 | | Latino men who have sexual contact with
men, also continue to | 19 | | make up the majority of new diagnoses, while transgender women, | 20 | | particularly
those of color, also are disproportionately | 21 | | affected; the City of Chicago stated that these populations, as | 22 | | well
as Chicagoans in some southern, western, and northern |
| | | HR0603 | - 3 - | LRB101 15035 MST 64553 r |
|
| 1 | | community areas, continue to be "priority
populations" for HIV | 2 | | prevention efforts; and | 3 | | WHEREAS, Gay and bisexual men accounted for 85% (7,271) of | 4 | | the HIV diagnoses among Hispanic/Latino
men in 2015, with | 5 | | indigenous-led organizations on the South and West sides of | 6 | | Chicago leading efforts
for outreach and engagement with the | 7 | | highest risk individuals; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, According to reporting by the Chicago Department | 9 | | of Public Health in 2016, gay, bisexual, and other men
who have | 10 | | sex with men, particularly Latino men, bear a disproportionate | 11 | | burden of HIV; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, Significant gaps in knowledge exist concerning | 13 | | HIV incidence and prevalence in the Latinx
community, | 14 | | especially given the influx of evacuees into the city from | 15 | | Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria; therefore, be it
| 16 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 17 | | HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 18 | | we call upon the Director of the Illinois Department of Public | 19 | | Health to expeditiously participate in legislative public | 20 | | hearings, as well as hearings within the communities so | 21 | | affected, in order to provide expert and public testimony | 22 | | concerning the amelioration of this disturbing and reversible |
| | | HR0603 | - 4 - | LRB101 15035 MST 64553 r |
|
| 1 | | public health threat; and be it further | 2 | | RESOLVED, That we urge additional appropriations in State | 3 | | funding, along with any available federal dollars, to provide | 4 | | necessary preventative diagnostic and treatment services to | 5 | | mitigate the harmful effects of HIV among at-risk African | 6 | | American and Latinx populations; and be it further
| 7 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 8 | | delivered to the Director of the Illinois Department of Public | 9 | | Health.
|
|