The AIDS Foundation of Chicago ( AFC ) kicked of its week of U.S. Conference on AIDS programming Nov. 8 with a night of reflection and storytelling.
Nonprofit employees from across the country gathered in Michelin-star restaurant Spiaggia, 980 N. Michigan Ave., as a panel of local doctors and activists ruminated on lessons learned.
"We dropped the ball [ when we ] stopped doing really concerted outreach in a lot of at-risk communities," said Román Buenrostro, AFC's director of special projects. "I remember when I was a wee young lad. Going out, you couldn't swing a dead cat in a gay bar without hitting an outreach worker. Now you really don't see social institutions in a lot of gay bars and gay venues. … I think that in-your-face constant messaging was a lost opportunity."
Missed chances and the need for continued outreach were common topics during the 2-hour dinner program.
Dr. Lisa M. Henry-Reid, who chairs the division of adolescent and young adult medicine at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital, noted that youth aged 15-24 represent one of the fastest growing HIV-populations, but that widespread testing still isn't common with this age group.
Most doctors decide whether they will test patients for HIV based on a variety of socioeconomic, age and geographic factors, Henry-Reid said. It's estimated that 20 percent of those living with HIV don't know their status, and that these people are responsible for over half of all new infections.
Henry-Reid stressed that HIV testing should be routinized in all communities, which could help reduce stigma while combatting new infections.
"I think we have so emphasized the negative disease piece of this, that we've been late to pick up the holistic positive health messages," said moderator Chris Brown, assistant commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health's STI/HIV Division. "I think that plays a part of stigma, self-concept and self-worth."
Both panelists and visitors voiced concern about diminishing funding streams, but Jeff Berry, director of publications at the Test Positive Aware Network ( TPAN ) , argued the focus on funding has become detrimental.
" [ We've been ] chasing funding and letting that drive what we do," Berry said, "rather than figuring out what we do and then finding the funding to do it. I think that's just really been a result of the funding structures that are in place and fighting over smaller and smaller pieces of the pie … but it really detracts from fighting the fight. I don't think that's unique to Chicago, but it's unfortunate."
While panelists were quick to point out mistakes made and changes needed, they also highlighted Chicago's considerable successes. Innovative peer-to-peer programs were widely touted, as was an ability to think outside the box.
AIDS Legal Council Executive Director Ann Hilton Fisher shared a program she had recently learned about from Anne Statton, who heads the Pediatric AIDS Chicago Prevention Initiative.
Statton saw that impoverished women with newborn babies were unable to attend much-needed mental counseling sessions because they lacked transportation. The solution: Each woman was provided with a Netbook so that counseling could be conducted over Skype.
"You're not saying, 'Transportation is a problem. We've got to figure out transportation,'" Fisher said. "You're saying, 'How do we take [ the problem ] completely out of the equation?'"
As panelists looked to the future, they stressed the need for additional outreach and advocacy.
"Us old-timer advocates will need to pass the torch, and my fear is: There's a gap," Berry said. "There's something missing. Where are the advocates that are coming in? We need to find ways to empower and really get that support."
Buenrostro suggested looking to communities already impacted.
"An opportunity that we have right now," he said, "is to begin to maximize and think about how we can incorporate those of us living with HIV into the provision of services for other people living with HIVreally using peers as smartly as possible."
AFC President/CEO David Munar opened the Tuesday night programming with a brief welcome speech. Bristol-Myers Squibb provided funding for the event, titled "Chicago Stories: Our Past and Future Fighting HIV/AIDSLessons for Nonprofit Executives at USCA."
This story is part of the Local Reporting Initiative, supported in part by The Chicago Community Trust.