A new state plan is working to bring HIV transmissions to a “functional zero.”
About 40,000 Illinois residents have HIV, with over half of those people living in Chicago. In 2017, there were nearly 1,500 new HIV diagnoses, the lowest number in the state since 1988. Getting to Zero Illinois aims to bring transmissions of HIV down to fewer than 100 new cases per year by 2030.
John Peller, part of the Getting to Zero Illinois steering committee, speaks at the unveiling of the plan in Springfield, Illinois, on May 14. Getting to Zero seeks to lower HIV transmissions to less than 100 new cases in Illinois by 2030.
Photo by Raven Feagins, courtesy AIDS Foundation of Chicago
“Through partnerships and a renewed focus on testing, treatment and prevention, we will save lives and stop HIV from impacting so many communities,” Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said at the plan’s May unveiling ceremony in Springfield.
The Illinois plan’s release follows just months after the “Ending the Epidemic: A Plan for America” was released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ HIV.gov. The federal plan targets a 75% reduction in HIV transmissions in five years and 90% in the next decade.
Beginning in 2016, the Illinois plan was developed through an extensive community-focused process involving town halls throughout the state, focus groups with specific populations and input from of over 50 community and health care organizations.
David Kern, deputy commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health and Getting to Zero Illinois Steering Committee member, emphasized that community partnership will allow the plan to build on successes in Illinois’ fight to reduce transmissions and care for those with HIV.
“We have a lot of champions and support that will help move this work forward,” Kern told The Nation’s Health. “Our plan has a broad base of buy-in and support from both health departments and from a host of other stakeholders because we were intentionally inclusive in its development.”
John Peller, MPP, president and CEO of AIDS Foundation of Chicago and Getting to Zero Illinois steering committee member, echoed that sentiment.
“If we’re relying on the HIV sector alone to end the epidemic, it’s not going to work,” Peller told The Nation’s Health. “One of the challenges that we, the public health sector, face is making sure that public health is embedded in all parts of the health care sector.”
With nearly 80 strategies in the plan, Getting to Zero Illinois and its partners are looking to effect a broad range of changes, from increasing the usage of pre-exposure prophylaxis to improving housing services for populations vulnerable to HIV. The pillars of the plan target workforce, health care, equity, efficiency in governmental coordination, services for co-occurring issues and monitoring.
“We believe that all of those have to work in conjunction to actually drive down the number of new diagnoses we’re experiencing in the state,” Kern said.
The plan specifically highlights the disproportionate transmission of HIV in underserved populations. Black men who have sex with men under the age of 29 make up many new HIV diagnoses in Chicago. The plan also targets Hispanic men who have sex with men, transgender women and black women who are also at high risk. The plan emphasizes that stigma and discrimination is fueling the epidemic, keeping people out of care.
“The goals around ending stigma and dismantling racism are definitely the most challenging in the Getting to Zero strategy, but they’re highlighting some of the most important areas that we need to change,” Peller said.
The Chicago Department of Public Health has committed resources to activities, programs and services that help increase the use of antiretroviral medications for both HIV treatment and prevention. Ensuring that people are aware of health services and have access to stable housing are important elements of the plan. As part of the new Getting to Zero plan, the department is trying to make sure that people know about and use the resources available, as data show people who access health services have better health outcomes overall.
According to Peller, response to the plan so far has been positive.
“People who aren’t in HIV are saying to us, ‘Wow, I didn’t even realize it was possible to talk about ending the HIV epidemic,’” Peller said.
For more information visit http://gtzillinois.hiv.
- Copyright The Nation’s Health, American Public Health Association
