Feb. 19, 2018 — With a goal of “getting to zero” new HIV infections in Illinois within the next 10 years, groups of people living with HIV met with advocates, clinicians, service providers and government officials in a series of town hall meetings in early 2018.
The events were held in Carbondale, Champaign-Urbana, Collinsville, Moline, Normal, Springfield and Waukegan. The events and the Getting to Zero initiative attracted significant news coverage in the following areas:
Organizations promoting or participating in the town hall meetings included the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, Bethany Place, Carbondale Civic Center, Central Illinois Friends, Champaign-Urbana Public Health District, Chicago Public Health Department, Doubletree Hotel in Collinsville, Illinois Department of Public Health, Illinois HIV Care Connect, Illinois Public Health Association, Jackson County Health Department, Lake County Health Department, McLean County Health Department, Moline Public Library, Normal Public Library, Positive Health Solutions, Project of the Quad Cities, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, St. Clair County Health Department, and Waukegan Public Library.
Illinois’ Getting to Zero project has been in development since July 2016, when a small group of concerned individuals met to explore what it would take to dramatically impact the course of the HIV epidemic in Illinois. The group was inspired by efforts in other areas, such as New York, San Francisco, and Washington state.
With influence from extensive community feedback, this group produced the Getting to Zero Framework, which describes the science and approaches that a plan for ending HIV in Illinois would require. Read the community feedback analysis here.