Chicago Department of Public Health Weekly Media Brief, 04/03/2025

Anniversary of the Ryan White CARE Act

Next week (April 8) marks the 35th anniversary of the death of Ryan White, the Indiana teenager whose battles with HIV/AIDS and the hatred and discrimination he faced made him a national figure in the fight against HIV/AIDS. This year is also the 35th anniversary of the Ryan White CARE Act, named in his honor. This landmark legislation has provided life-saving medical care, medication, and support services to hundreds of thousands of people living with HIV for over three decades

Ryan White was diagnosed with AIDS when he was 13 years old, after receiving a contaminated blood transfusion to treat his hemophilia. When his middle school expelled him, driven by fear and misinformation about his illness, Ryan and his family fought back, taking his case to court and becoming national figures in the fight against HIV/AIDS stigma.

Recognized as a cost-effective public health intervention, the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) has led to record-breaking success, with 91% of participants achieving viral suppression, surpassing national rates. People with HIV who maintain viral suppression by taking their medication cannot sexually transmit the virus and can thrive with effective treatment. Without RWHAP, more people would become HIV-positive, fewer would achieve viral suppression, and more people would die from HIV/AIDS. The RWHAP remains a cornerstone of HIV care in the U.S., ensuring that uninsured and underinsured people with HIV receive the treatment they need to live longer, healthier lives.

Black Maternal Health Week

April 11-17 marks Black Maternal Health Week, a time to raise awareness about the maternal health crisis affecting Black women in the United States. While the experiences and outcomes of Black mothers should be at the forefront of public health discussions year-round, the coming week can spotlight the stark disparities in care, treatment, and maternal health outcomes.

The facts are alarming:

• Black women in the U.S. are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women.
• In Chicago, between 2015-2020, Black women were 6.5 times more likely to experience pregnancy-associated death and 4 times more likely to experience pregnancy-related death.
• 89% of pregnancy-related deaths among Black women were preventable.

CDPH is working to improve maternal health outcomes through several initiatives, including:

• Family Connects Chicago (FCC): A free nurse home visiting program for families with newborns, ensuring post-birth health checks and connections to resources.
• WIC Program: Provides nutrition support, education, and food assistance to thousands of moms, infants, and young children annually.
• OneChiFam.org : A comprehensive resource for new parents, offering guidance on mental health, advocacy, infant care, and more.

For more information, visit OneChiFam.org or learn about Family Connects Chicago at Chicago.gov/family-connects. If you or someone you know needs support, reach out to fcc@cityofchicago.org.

Healthy Chicago Podcast

"The zip code you either are born in or you live in should not dictate how long you live. Period."

Dion Dawson's Chicago Dream saved his life. During the pandemic, Dawson was broke, angry, and disillusioned by a system that had not advanced in providing food equity and accessibility since he was a transient, sometimes homeless five-year-old child. In 2020, out of that trauma-filled frustration Dawson created - with the assistance of his wife, mom, and friends - Dion's Chicago Dream, an organization and movement to consistently feed as many folks in need as possible with fresh and healthy food.

Since that inception, Dawson built a nonprofit social enterprise to combat food inequity and improve health outcomes of the population by centering the experience on the recipients. The organization has provided more than three million pounds of fruits and vegetables for those who need it, in what he calls the "opposite of the pantry model." With an impact that has seen them purchase, pack and deliver every single pound and create almost 50 wage-paying jobs, the Dream Team is nowhere near done.

Learn more about Dion's Chicago Dream.

Listen or watch the newest episodes on YouTube, Spotify, Appleand the CDPH website.

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