Mayor Daley's Final City Budget Avoids Cuts to HIV Services

Mayor Daley recommended that HIV funding remain level at $4.3 million. Last year, HIV funding was cut by $175,000. City funding is largely used for HIV prevention programs and supplies, housing services, and awareness activities.

Overall proposed city funding for CDPH was reduced by just 0.2%, from $33.87 million in 2010 to $33.80 million in 2011, and five positions will be eliminated. The AIDS Foundation of Chicago will lobby City Council members to appropriate the highest funding amounts possible for public health programs, including HIV services.

Read the rest at AIDSConnect.net.

CDPH Moving To Fill LGBT Health Position

Despite the City of Chicago’s budget crunch, the Chicago Department of Public Health is moving to fill the vacant position of director of the Office of LGBT Health, a CDPH spokesman said July 23.

"We fully understand the importance and support the work of the CDPH LGBT Health Office," CDPH’s Tim Hadac said. "We are moving forward with the process of hiring a director."

The job has been unfilled since its former director, Simone Koehlinger (above), left CDPH June 14, and some in the community have speculated that the City’s budget woes might be why. Those concerns led the Chicago Commission on Human Relations’ Advisory Council on LGBT Issues, whose members are appointed by Mayor Richard M. Daley, to approve a letter July 21 to CDPH Comm. Bechara Choucair urging CDPH to fill the position and continue to support the office.

Read the rest at EDGE Chicago...

Closing the (LGBT health) gap

Yeah, I’m an opportunist. 

I bet you are, too.

by Simone Koehlinger
Director, Office of LGBT Health
Chicago Department of Public Health

We’re in the midst of National LGBT Health Awareness Week. I suppose I should tell you that this year’s theme is “Closing the Gap.” But I should also disclose, in all honesty, I don’t care what the theme for National LBGT health awareness week is.

Don’t get me wrong--- it’s a fine theme. It’s just that, as far as I’m concerned, the theme could be anything. It could be inspired by American Idol (“THIS is LGBT Health Week”), it could be one step away from a Hallmark card (“Roses are red, violets are blue, I am healthy and you should be too.”), or it could come with its own music video (“Lady Gaga does LGBT Health”).

As long as we call attention to LGBT health, a catchy theme really doesn’t matter. We gays, bisexuals, and transgender people just don’t hear many positive things about ourselves. When someone is rolling out health news, rarely do we catch a glimpse of how it applies to us. Our communities face a number of health disparities that are not adequately addressed. That’s why LGBT health awareness is needed each and every week of the year.

I’m often the cocktail party attendee who is sipping sparkling water and just waiting for the perfect opening to talk about gay men’s’ syphilis rates or lesbians’ mammography seeking behaviors. Yeah, it can be annoying. But these are conversations that need to be had--- over and over again until things change.

And our conversations should include all the good things we are doing, too. There’s lots to celebrate, including the multiple ways in which we are thriving and taking care of ourselves and each other. How often do we acknowledge the strength, passion, and creativity that is as much a part of our communities as our health challenges?

So calm down, I’m not asking you to join in me in the LGBT-health-365-days-a-year regimen – that might be a tad bit excessive. But doing these 3 simple things would make a big difference:

Mention to at least 3 friends that this is LGBT Health Awareness Week (feel free to use your Ryan Seacrest voice). If you don’t feel like using your inside voice, there’s always Facebook, Twitter, Google chat, Skype, your Manhunt profile, and fill-in-the-blank.

Share this link (and 1 interesting morsel, like did you know LBGTs are less likely to have health insurance?) with your colleagues, friends, family, medical provider, or anyone: www.lgbthealth.net/awarenessweek10

If you’re gay, lesbian, bi or transgender, commit to doing ONE thing that will improve or help you maintain your health. If you’re an ally (we love you!), commit to doing one thing to ensure quality care for the LGBT people in your life.

Go ahead, call me an opportunist. I’ll shamelessly capitalize on this and EVERY chance to talk up LGBT health. And even without a sensational video, I bet you will too.

NEW CHICAGO DATA: HIV Infection Among Men Who Have Sex With Men

Chicago HIV Behavioral Surveillance, 2008
via Chicago Department of Public Health

Exploring Racial/Ethnic Disparities
in Levels of HIV Infection

Abstract

Background and Methods:
The Chicago Department of Public Health’s Office of HIV Behavioral Surveillance conducted a survey with 570 men who have sex with men (MSM) during 2008. The survey aimed to describe HIV prevalence rates, rates of unrecognized HIV infection, sex and drug behaviors and prevention utilization among MSM in Chicago. MSM were randomly recruited from randomly selected venues where MSM congregate.

Results:
91 of 524 (17.4%) MSM tested HIV-positive at the time of the survey. HIV prevalence among Black MSM (30.1%) was at least twice the rate of White (11.3%) and Hispanic MSM (12.0%). Despite observed disparity in HIV prevalence, individual-level sex and drug use behaviors (condom use, knowledge or partner status, etc.) did not differ significantly by race/ethnicity. Fifty percent (50%) were unaware of their HIV infection at the time of the survey. Many persons who were unaware of their HIV infection at the time of the survey had acquired their infection in the past year and were engaged in HIV testing and medical care at similar rates as other MSM. Among those who had not tested for HIV in the past year, fear of testing positive and conversely, perceiving oneself to be ‘low risk’ were the most common reasons cited for not testing.

Conclusions:
Levels of sex and drug use behaviors, and consequently, HIV prevalence rates remain high across MSM racial/ethnic groups in Chicago. Continued focus on individual-level risk behaviors and HIV testing will only have a limited impact on reducing racial disparities in levels of HIV infection. Rate of new infections among Black MSM, the background community HIV prevalence among Black Chicagoans, and MSM sexual mixing patterns may be contributing factors to racial disparities in HIV prevalence and need to be addressed in future research and prevention efforts.

Read the full report.

PRESS RELEASE: CDPH Survey Reveals Significant Racial Disparities in Rates of HIV Infections Among Men Who Sex With Men in Chicago

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

At the May Board of Health meeting (held May 20, 2009), the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) released data which, available for the first time, describes community estimates of HIV infection rates and levels of unrecognized infection among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Chicago. The presentation, entitled “HIV Prevalence, Unrecognized Infection, and HIV Testing among MSM in Chicago, 2008”, highlights significant racial disparities in levels of HIV infection among MSM. Between August and December of 2008, CDPH’s Chicago HIV Behavioral Surveillance System (Project CHAT) randomly sampled 570 MSM at 57 venues throughout Chicago where MSM congregate. Participants consented to a 30-minute survey and an HIV test.

The report found the overall proportion of MSM that tested positive for HIV infection was 17.4%.

HIV prevalence was 30.1% among African-American MSM,
12.0% among Hispanic MSM,

and 11.3% among White MSM surveyed.

The racial disparity appears significantly more pronounced among MSM under 35 years of age. Young African-American MSM were over 7 times more likely to be infected than young White MSM (30.0% vs. 4.2%). “These findings mirror national data from other large cities that show disproportionate rates of HIV infection among African-American MSM, particularly among younger groups, compared to other MSM”, said Nikhil Prachand, senior CDPH epidemiologist and a principal investigator of Project CHAT.

Of those who tested HIV-positive, over 50% were unaware of their HIV infection at the time of the survey. Two-thirds of African-Americans (67%) were unaware of their HIV infection at the time of the survey. This compares to half of all Hispanic MSM and less than a quarter of White MSM (23%).

Among all MSM unaware of their HIV infection, 50% reported not having an HIV test in the past year. Many reported their main reason for not being tested recently because of ‘a fear of testing positive’. The data also suggest that MSM may be unaware of their status because their infections may have been very recently acquired.

CDPH funds fifteen HIV Prevention agencies and over twenty programs throughout the city to target MSM through group and individual level interventions. CDPH also works collaboratively with the Chicago Black Gay Men’s Caucus, whose mission is to stop the spread of HIV infection and promote the well-being of African American MSM. This partnership has resulted in new community leadership, numerous educational events and several large scale HIV testing efforts over the past few years.

Along with our community partners, CDPH has expanded HIV testing, condom distribution efforts and increased the usage of evidenced-based interventions (e.g. D-UP, Many Men, Many Voices and Community Promise). Additionally, CDPH coordinates promising new efforts such couples counseling, research projects, social marketing, and cultural competency trainings. We also anticipate engaging in biomedical interventions to prevent transmissions.

Project CHAT is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is part of a national 21-city surveillance system. This system, which was implemented in 2004, aims to collect behavioral data on risk behaviors and HIV prevention utilization for at-risk groups. Data is collected in three-year cycles with annually alternating populations including MSM, heterosexuals, and injection drug users. The data released Wednesday reflects findings from the second cycle of the MSM survey conducted in 2008.

CDPH Commissioner Terry Mason stated, “It is vital for us to continue promoting testing and education for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections among all Chicagoans and increase prevention efforts with populations that are disproportionately impacted.”

Assistant Commissioner for the STD/HIV Division Christopher Brown, stated, “These baseline data will be used to increase HIV awareness among all MSM and, by working with our community-based partners, to strengthen and expand our prevention efforts.”

For more information about this press release or the upcoming community educational session, please contact Nikhil Prachand at 312-745-3204 or Mini Arellano at 312-745-0384.

[NOTE - Stay connected to LifeLube for ongoing discussion and analysis around the CHAT data, including new information about sexual risk behaviors, substance use behaviors and adverse childhood experiences.]