On World AIDS Day, Illinois HIV Care Connect Encourages People with HIV to #StayinCare

HIV+ Illinoisans can view new web content, then take #StayinCare
Quiz

SPRINGFIELD, Ill.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#HIV—Illinois
HIV Care Connect published new
text and video content on its website today, on World AIDS Day, to
encourage people living with HIV in Illinois to stay in HIV care.

HIV+ Illinoisans can view the new content, and take the seven-minute #StayinCare
Quiz, which measures understanding of the importance of staying in
HIV care, also known as “retention in care.” Illinois HIV Care Connect
will compare the scores of those taking the quiz before the content was
published with those taking the quiz after to gauge how effectively the
content improved awareness and knowledge.

For a person living with HIV, staying in HIV care is an important step
toward achieving viral suppression, a low level of HIV in the blood, and
toward increasing the chance of a long and healthy life. Only 30 percent
of people living with HIV have reached viral suppression, according to
the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and that’s because
only 37 percent of people living with HIV are successfully staying in
care by making medical appointments twice a year and regularly taking
their medications.

“Encouraging people with HIV in Illinois to stay in care is a major goal
for Illinois HIV Care Connect,” said Tom Hughes, executive director of
the Illinois Public Health Association (IPHA), which manages Illinois
HIV Care Connect with funding from the Illinois Department of Public
Health (IDPH). “To achieve this goal, we’re communicating messages about
the importance of staying in care using text, graphics and videos” on
the Illinois HIV Care Connect website (hivcareconnect.com)
and on its Twitter,
Facebook,
Google+,
Pinterest,
and Instagram
social media platforms.

The stay in care initiative follows two successful campaigns Illinois
HIV Care Connect has done previously – one on the importance of viral
suppression and another on HIV
and mental health.

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. 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.

Contacts

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