Take a stand for PACPI

More than 9 months without a state budget, PACPI continues to serve families in need despite non-payment of contracted services

PACPI has signed contracts with the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) totaling more than $848,000 for high-impact treatment and prevention services for pregnant mothers with HIV.

IDPH has been a supporter of perinatal HIV prevention services for the state and has been a main source of funding for these vital programs. However, state dollars are being held hostage by our state’s leaders and this is impacting the most vulnerable women and children in our state.

If the state does not pay for these services, PACPI may have no choice but to end our programs.

PACPI executive director Anne Statton stated during an interview on Fox 32 Chicago, “[PACPI] can’t turn away women today while we still have a dollar in the bank.”

PACPI board, staff, and volunteers are fighting to continue our vital services. While we are being conservative with funds, we have had to make some cuts to our programs.

Our board of directors is dedicated to fundraising and refreshing our strategic direction, currently working on new growth strategies for future impact on Illinois women and children.

When women with HIV are connected to care, adhering to their antiretroviral regimen, and using formula, perinatal transmission risk is less than 1%, compared to 25% if the mother is not in proper treatment.[1]

Q: What makes the difference between less than 1 baby in 100 being born with HIV and 1 in 4 babies born with HIV?
A: Access to medical care, education, and social service support.

PACPI has a 99% success rate in preventing HIV transmission by working with women during and after pregnancy to access care. So far, there are no confirmed cases of perinatal HIV transmission in Illinois for 2015.

Without PACPI services, vulnerable pregnant women may transmit HIV to their infants.

All PACPI clients are low-income and 80% are African-American, a community where HIV is an epidemic. By failing to support these services, the state is ensuring that the epidemic continues.

The estimated lifetime costs of treating a child born with HIV is estimated at over $1 million. By preventing HIV transmission to an infant, PACPI helps save the state upwards of $35 million in lifetime costs of treatment each year.

PACPI services address additional conditions that complicate pregnancy and motherhood including mental illness, substance use, homelessness, poverty, domestic violence, refugee or asylee status, current or previous incarceration, child welfare involvement, and other illnesses.

The programs include enhanced case management, the 24/7 statewide Hotline, and statewide rapid HIV testing implementation. These services are part of the CDC-commended Safety Net of Perinatal HIV Prevention in Illinois.

Take a stand for PACPI. Use your voice to save vulnerable children and families.

Tell your representative that PACPI’s work is valuable to the whole state and is an investment to save lives and prevent further expenses to our health and social services system.
Tell the Governor and your lawmaker to pass a responsible budget with revenue to serve Illinois citizens, not just the wealthy.

[1] CDC Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, 2007.

PACPI is Hiring: Bilingual Perinatal Enhanced Case Manager

PACPI is hiring a bilingual Spanish Perinatal Enhanced Case Manager through the University of Chicago.

Please use this link to view the job description and to apply for the position. Requisition Number: 100095

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, protected veteran status or status as an individual with disability.

The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action / Equal Employment Opportunity / Disabled / Veterans Employer.

Jasmine’s Story

Jasmine

“I don’t tell many people I have HIV.” That’s a phrase we hear over and over. This is the same thing Jasmine told me.

Jasmine is 27 years old and has three amazing children.

She first learned she had HIV five years ago when her second child was diagnosed with HIV as a newborn.

A local health center called the 24/7 Illinois Perinatal HIV Hotline in 2015 to connect Jasmine to PACPI case management when she was pregnant with her third child.

Connection to care is vital to prevent HIV transmission during pregnancy.

Jasmine’s housing situation is not great – she shares a room with all three of her children in Chicago’s Far South Side. But she lives with her parents who love her children and help care for them. This was especially important this year when, because Jasmine was working, cuts to the Child Care Assistance Program disqualified her middle child, who was not yet in kindergarten, from continuing daycare.

Things haven’t been easy – her kindergartner didn’t like the taste of her HIV medication and wasn’t keeping it down. Jasmine would struggle keeping up with the medications for herself and her child; sometimes she would forget if she’d taken her own or not. She also had to work on changing her diet and take iron supplements. It was a lot at one time.

Thanks to PACPI donors, Jasmine’s PACPI case manager connected her whole family to regular HIV, obstetric, and pediatric care and additional support services.

And Jasmine’s newborn does not have HIV!

“Navigating the healthcare system, it’s easier doing it all with her [my case manager] – getting to appointments, filling prescriptions. She helps me on the spot, while we’re sitting together.”

Even being connected to regular care, Jasmine, her infant, and her middle child all get their care at different health centers which makes attending appointments a huge challenge.

Missing medical appointments due to cost and time is one of the big issues PACPI clients face. This can affect their adherence to their HIV medications, prevent opportunities for learning about best health practices during and after pregnancy, and can poorly affect their children’s health if they miss pediatric appointments.

Jasmine’s case manager was available to help Jasmine coordinate transportation during her pregnancy so she could prevent HIV transmission to her baby and to help her other children receive care.

Having the case manager coordinate care and services made life better for this young mother.

“The best part about my PACPI case manager is access – I could contact her when I needed to and she made other opportunities available to me like support groups, transportation, and benefits. I don’t tell many people about my [HIV] status but was able to talk to her about it.”

Her inspiration to be healthy is to be here for her kids. After attending PACPI’s pilot workshop on HIV disclosure, Jasmine is working on how to tell her loved ones about her HIV status.

Jasmine, on the workshop, “I’ve never been in a group like this. It’s comfortable talking with the other women; I don’t feel judged.”

Even Jasmine’s parents do not know she has HIV. She is afraid of how they might react when they find out both she and one of her children have HIV. Currently, they help administer medication to her kindergartner but they don’t know what it’s really for.

As her case manager said, “It’s not easy to build rapport with clients, it takes time. I ask questions and see what the client chooses to share. Some of the issues these women have is bigger than you and me. I’m here to assist.”

Jasmine is an example of what a connection to care can do.

Donate to PACPI today so we can continue providing full case management services to Illinois women and infants amid a budget impasse that is withholding more than $750,000 for PACPI services.

PACPI Fall Social!

We admiringly thank all the guests who came out to support PACPI programs and play arcade games at the PACPI Fall Social. Even if you lost all your lives, were eaten, shot down, or terminated, it was a fun time!

Thank you to Emporium Arcade Bar for warmly welcoming PACPI and providing a raffle prize. We also thank our other raffle donors: T. and Eva Powell, Amy’s Candy Bar, Hoosier Mama Pie Company, Piece Pizzeria and Brewery, and Aloha Eats.

Total raised is over $2,400! This is our first bar event and we’re grateful for the community support. PACPI is reaching out to expand our local and regional funding for women and children we serve.

Raffle Winners are:
Abigail S. – Blackhawks Tickets package
Smith T. – Emporium bonanza
Edwina R. – Wine basket
Daniel J. – Hoosier Mama gift certificate
Sally K. – Amy’s Candy Bar basket

Team PACPI exceeds $10,000 goal in AIDS Run & Walk

With a goal of raising $10,000 and recruiting 30 team members, all of us at PACPI are thrilled that our team of 42 members helped raise more than $12,800 for this year’s AIDS Run & Walk Chicago, hosted by the AIDS Foundation of Chicago!

You helped us raise 128% of our goal – we could not have done this without our team members and generous donors, thank you!

Cuts and proposed cuts to the state budget in addition to the budget impasse are making it increasingly important for PACPI to reach out to private donors like you and strengthen our foundation so we can continue to serve women and families in Illinois.

The Team Donation page is open through October 31 so get in your final donations soon!

Team PACPI starting walk

This event helps PACPI raise money to keep our programs going so we continue to serve pregnant and postpartum women living with HIV who have few resources and need access to care to manage their HIV diagnosis during and after pregnancy. Our programs have proven results to prevent perinatal HIV transmission.

Helping women establish a connection to care helps decrease HIV transmission to their child and any future children or partners. Treatment and care can reduce the risk of perinatal HIV transmission to less than 2%, which rocks!

See more photos on our Facebook page.

PACPI Mourns Susan Gevirtz

PACPI is saddened by the loss of one of our founding mothers. Susan Ruth Gevirtz was a founding member of Pediatric AIDS Chicago (PAC), the organization that created the Pediatric AIDS Chicago Prevention Initiative.

Susan served many years as a member of PAC and ultimately became president of the organization. Susan was passionate about the work that PAC and PACPI undertook to help prevent the transmission of HIV from mothers to babies.

Susan was a dedicated volunteer, a passionate fundraiser, and most importantly, a model mother to both her children and her community. Susan’s vision lives on in PACPI’s work.

Our thoughts are with the Gevirtz family and all her loved ones.

A memory or condolence can be shared on her legacy page.

Chicago Foundation for Women Grants $15,000 to PACPI

Chicago Foundation for Women Grants $15,000 to Pediatric AIDS Chicago Prevention Initiative to Make an Investment in Women and Girls

Chicago Foundation for Women’s spring 2015 primary cycle focused on freedom from violence and health access and awareness.

Pediatric AIDS Chicago Prevention Initiative (PACPI) was awarded $15,000 for their Perinatal HIV Enhanced Case Management from the General Fund at Chicago Foundation for Women. The spring 2015 primary cycle at Chicago Foundation for Women awarded $570,000 in grants to 34 Chicagoland programs. Perinatal HIV Enhanced Case Management intends to help vulnerable HIV-positive pregnant women to have healthy, HIV-negative newborns and establish a strong connection to continuing care for each mother and child.

CFW awarded 12 grants focused on access to health and health information. CFW grantees in the health portfolio are committed to supporting some of the most vulnerable women in Chicago. All grantee organizations serve or impact low-income women or women below the poverty line.

Spanish-language Newspaper Hoy Interviews PACPI Executive Director

Spanish-language newspaper Hoy spoke with PACPI executive director Anne Statton at Wednesday’s rally to Pass a Positive Budget, organized by the AIDS Foundation of Chicago. Pass a Positive Budget is a community-driven campaign that fights for a fair and positive budget for FY16. The health and lives of individuals living with and impacted by HIV face serious threats this year. Read more about the campaign.

Full Hoy article in Spanish.

Anne Statton Hoy newspaper FOTO-CORRECTA-PARA-SIDA-800x600 July 22 2015

GABRIEL NEELY-STREIT/HOY