U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) reports that the AIDS Foundation of Chicago will receive $500,000 to assist in the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS in minority and disadvantaged communities. At Schakowsky’s request, the funds were included in the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill, and it passed both the House and Senate and is expected to receive the president’s signature.
More than 28,000 people are living with HIV/AIDS in Illinois, and Chicago ranks sixth among U.S. cities in its number of diagnosed AIDS cases. Nationwide, more than 40,000 people are infected each year.