HIV-Positive and Illinois Resident? Take Our HIV and Mental Health Quiz

Illinois HIV Care Connect reinforcing the importance of good
mental health among people living with HIV

SPRINGFIELD, Ill.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Good mental health is important to all, and particularly to people
living with HIV. For this reason, Illinois HIV Care Connect has
developed an HIV
and Mental Health Quiz serving as the first step in an educational
effort that will run until February 2016. The quiz can be found at ow.ly/Uc5KG.

Between now and mid-December, the quiz will test the baseline awareness
and knowledge of the importance of good mental health among people
living with HIV in Illinois. After taking the quiz, these individuals
will be provided with the correct answers and directed to additional
learning resources. The quiz will be promoted on Illinois HIV Care
Connect’s website – www.hivcareconnect.com
– and on its social media platforms: Twitter (twitter.com/ILCareConnect),
Facebook (facebook.com/ILCareConnect)
and Google+.

In mid-December, Illinois HIV Care Connect will introduce educational
materials about HIV and mental health and will again ask people living
with HIV in Illinois, including those taking the quiz prior to the
introduction of the educational materials, to take the quiz to measure
overall awareness and knowledge improvement.

Illinois HIV Care Connect is a statewide network providing medical case
management, health care and support services to people living with HIV. Seven
lead agencies coordinate the services provided to eight Illinois regions
through the program, which is funded by the Illinois Department of
Public Health (IDPH) and federal grants and supported by the Illinois
Public Health Association (IPHA). About 36,000 Illinois residents are
estimated to be HIV-positive. Illinois HIV Care Connect lead agency
offices located in Rockford, Peoria, Springfield, Belleville,
Murphysboro, Champaign and Chicago serve people living with HIV in all
of Illinois’ 102 counties.

“We look forward to working with Illinois mental health organizations,
professionals and advocates to raise awareness of the importance of good
mental health among people living with HIV,” said Tom Hughes, executive
director of the Illinois Public Health Association. “Evidence shows that
good mental health within the HIV-positive population will lead to
better overall health outcomes and longer lifespans.”

Contacts

For Illinois HIV Care Connect
Ray Valek, 708-352-8695
ray@valekco.com