Chicago hosts the nation's largest AIDS conference this week.
The U.S. Conference on AIDS ( USCA ) rolls into downtown Chicago for the first time in its 15-year history, from Nov. 10- 13, bringing with it thousands of service providers and some of the biggest names in HIV advocacy.
It also marks the first year the conference has come to the Midwest.
The four-day event will take place at the Sheraton Hotel downtown and will coincide with events at HIV/AIDS service organizations around the city.
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius will give the keynote address at opening plenary Nov. 10, 8 a.m.
Other big names at this year's conference will include CNN anchor Don Lemon, former Project Runway contestant Mondo Guerra, and outgoing White House Office of National AIDS Policy Director Jeff Crowley. Others will include Dr. Julio Montaner, of the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS; Bertrand Audoin, the executive director of the International AIDS Society; and David Furnish, chairman of Elton John AIDS Foundation.
The conference will also highlight the work of local service providers in two receptions on Oct. 12. Center on Halsted will host the first, while the second will feature both CALOR and Vida/SIDA at The Puerto Rican Cultural Center. The events are open to registered conference attendees.
Modesto "Tico" Valle, CEO at Center on Halsted, said his organization is proud to be welcoming the conference to the Center.
"It is such a pivotal time for this conference, in this place, at this time, as HIV and AIDS continue to negatively impact gay and bisexual men and people of color," Valle said. "There is new hope on the horizon and each one of us has a role to play in moving us forward toward a cure."
Sponsored by the National Minority AIDS Council and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this year's conference will focus on men who have sex with men, a population severely impacted by rising HIV rates, according to experts.
The theme is titled "Make Change Real: Unite. Speak. Act."
The conference will explore new challenges facing service providers as HIV prevention funding continues to dwindle and new healthcare advancements offer possibilities for ending the virus. Key discussions will include preparing for the implementation of the Affordable Care Act and the possibilities raised by pre-exposure prophylaxis ( the use of HIV medications to combat HIV infection ) as a means of preventing the spread of HIV.
The conference will also explore issues around drug use, domestic violence, HIV prevention in communities of color, faith-based prevention initiatives, transgender health, social media strategies, organizational fundraising, incarceration and youth, among other topics.
The USCA is divided into category "tracks" for service providers and advocates of varying backgrounds. Those include sessions dealing with organizational health, healthcare, housing, HIV prevention, international work, public policy and research.
Organizers estimate that between 3,500-5,000 people will attend the conference, which could make it the largest in USCA history.
Registration for the event kicks off on Weds, Nov. 8 at 4 pm. at the Sheraton Chicago Ballroom Foyer, 4th Level. The conference itself will begin on Thursday with a series of institutes on different identity groups and other AIDS-related topics.
More information on specific workshops and registration costs as well as a full agenda can be found at www.nmac.org/index/2011-usca-program-book.
