Chicago Seeks Volunteers for HIV Group

On September 18, Chicago's top AIDS officials announced that two planning and oversight groups -- the HIV Prevention Planning Group and the Chicago-Area HIV Services Planning Council -- are seeking applicants to serve two-year terms.

HPPG, with 35 volunteer members, meets monthly to assess the state of HIV prevention in the metropolitan area and to formulate a yearly plan for funds allocation. HSPC has 50 members who meet monthly to help the Chicago Department of Public Health allocate resources to care for people living with HIV/AIDS.

"We always try to recruit a diverse group of people who represent the community, especially the communities that are impacted by HIV," said Chris Brown, assistant commissioner for STD/HIV/AIDS programs at CDPH. "We look at people with various risk factors. We try to have a membership that mirrors the epidemic."

The two groups were formed to help guide policymakers in allocating federal funds after community planning was instituted in 1994. Membership terms are staggered to help acclimate new members while bringing in fresh people and new ideas. "It's an amazingly complex process," Brown noted. "People have to get up to speed on various populations."

Although gay and bisexual men are still the group most affected group in Chicago's AIDS epidemic, the disease is increasingly evident in communities of color, and epidemiologists noted recent spikes in HIV transmission among young gays.

"It's essential for HPPG to follow the epidemic," Brown remarked. "A group like this has got to keep up on these shifts."

Stagnant funding levels under the Bush administration complicate the group's work, since costs are rising. "We've been seeing level funding in this arena for quite a while now," Brown commented. Still, he noted, serving on the groups offers rewards.

Back to other news for September 30, 2003