AIDS Healthcare Foundation opens second care center on Chicago's South Side
New facility will offer much-needed medical care, including pharmacy services, to Hyde Park Community.
AIDS Healthcare Foundation and South Side Health Center celebrate the grand opening of AHF's Hyde Park Healthcare Center and Remote Consultation Pharmacy.
The South Side of Chicago now has a second Healthcare Center and Remote Consultation Pharmacy for HIV/AIDS patients. The new Hyde Park facility was officially unveiled this week, and will help extend services to the underserved community, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation said.
In addition to the care center, two mobile units will travel through the South Side offering screenings for HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C, and will help connect patients with care.
The center itself will also offer testing so people know and understand their status, immediate connections to care regardless of their ability to pay, and ongoing follow-ups to provide support and make sure patients are sticking with their prescribed healthcare regimens, the Foundation said.
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Chicago's 2015 HIV/STI Surveillance Report said the city has seen a an annual decrease in new HIV diagnoses of 3 percent, and the number of new HIV infection diagnoses also fell in 2014, though it was a much steeper slide, 48 percent compared to 2001.
The Foundation has been trying to enhance care on Chicago's South Side, and the newest care center is not the only recent example. In 2015, AHF announced their affiliation with the South Side Help Center, a community-based facility that has provide critical services to HIV-positive patients for almost 30 years. They also opened another healthcare center on South Michigan Avenue last February.
AHF is the largest global AIDS organization and provides medical services to more than 611,000 individuals worldwide.
Twitter: @BethJSanborn
