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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING HOWARD BROWN HEALTH, ONE OF THE NATION’S LARGEST LGBTQ ORGANIZATIONS
WHEREAS, February 7, 2018 marks the 18th year of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD), a national HIV testing and treatment community mobilization initiative targeted at Black populations in the United States as a national response to the growing HIV and AIDS epidemic in African-American communities; and,
WHEREAS, Howard Brown Health, with multiple health clinics spanning the far north sides and south sides of the City, exists to eliminate the disparities in healthcare experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people through research, education and the provision of services that promote health and wellness; and,
WHEREAS, Howard Brown Health was founded in 1974 and is now one of the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) organizations; and,
WHEREAS, the agency serves more than 30,000 adults and youth each year in its diverse health and social service delivery system focused around seven major programmatic divisions: primary medical care, behavioral health, research, HIV/STI prevention, youth services, elder services, and community initiatives; and,
WHEREAS, Howard Brown serves men, women, transgender and gender non-conforming individuals, infants, youth, and children through a multi-site operation based in Chicago that includes a main health and research center in the Uptown neighborhood, Howard Brown Health Sheridan, and eight other clinics across the city including sites in Englewood, Back of the Yards, Rogers Park, Hyde Park, Edgewater, and Lakeview; and,
WHEREAS, When early warning signs of the impending AIDS epidemic became widespread in the early 80s, Howard Brown Health was quick to react, taking an active role in helping to coordinate medical investigation and treatment of the first symptoms, which included a fatal form of cancer; and,
WHEREAS, By 1987, AIDS had taken hold of the gay community’s emotional and intellectual collective thinking, and Howard Brown Health did more than respond in kind; it pioneered the strategy against the war on AIDS by fighting with facts, providing more medical and psychosocial services, and continuing to reach out to all that needed assistance; and,
WHEREAS, in 2016 Howard Brown served 3,175 patients living with HIV, utilized cutting-edge biomedical interventions offering patients protection against HIV infection such as 1,615 patients engaged in Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), 379 patients accessed Post-exposure Prophylaxis (PEP, and 82% of patients with HIV achieve maximum viral suppression, compared to 55% nationally; and,
WHEREAS, in 2017 Howard Brown introduced Same Day Start, allowing patients to start treatment the same day they are diagnosed, helping to achieve a suppressed viral load faster, leading to better long term health outcomes and reduced risk of HIV transmission.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Cook County Board of Commissioners recognizes Howard Brown Health as a beacon for the County’s LGBTQ community, and wishes it continued success with its work keeping our residents healthy.
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