Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike recently met with members of the Black Leadership Advocacy Coalition For Healthcare Funding Equity (BLACHFE) in Chicago.
The meeting took place to address the members' concerns relative to restrictive definitions included in grant applications for the Illinois African-American HIV/AIDS Response Act (AAHARA) that limit prevention education and HIV testing to only certain African-American demographics, versus all African-Americans.
After discussions and review of administrative codes, as well as language of the AAHARA itself, Ezike agreed that all African-Americans should be included in prevention education and testing for HIV/AIDS and that funding to the Black-led CBO (community-based organization) grant recipients should be allocated accordingly.
Rates of new HIV diagnoses are now at 50%+ for non-Hispanic African Americans; 23.6%% for Hispanic individuals; and 21.8% for white persons in Illinois, according to AIDSvu.org . In 2006, when the AAHARA was first passed, African-Americans made up 48% of new and existing HIV diagnoses.
Illinois state Rep. Lamont Robinson Jr. helped bring IDPH leadership and Black-led CBOs together after having been the sponsor for an increase of the AAHARA fund from $1.2M to $15M during the spring 2021 session, ending June 30. Deputy Gov. Sol Flores also attended the meeting that took place at the Dr. Martin Luther King Community Service Center.
Other attendees included:
IDPH representatives: Chief of Staff Justin Dewitt, Deputy Director Griselle Torres, HIV/STI Director Andrea Perez and Legislative Liaison Allison Nickrent;
BLACHFE representatives: Alliance Care 360/Brothers Health Collective Executive Director Ariq Cabbler; Brave Space Alliance Communications Director Jae Rice; Chicago Black Gay Men's Caucus Executive Director Joshua Travis; Community Wellness Project Executive Director Dana Williams; GreaterWorks Inc. Founder/President Creola Kizart-Hampton; Project VIDA Executive Director Jerome Montgomery; Proactive Community Services Executive Director Eula Burge; South Side Help Center Executive Director Vanessa Smith; Taskforce Prevention Services Executive Director Christopher Balthazar; Transforming Reentry Services CEO Rev. Doris Green; and Writers, Planners, Trainers Inc. Executive Director Harold Lawary.