BASUAH - Brothers and Sisters United Against HIV/AIDS  
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basuah (buh soo uh) n.

BASUAH is an acronym for Brothers And Sisters United Against HIV. A program of the Illinois Department of Public Health, BASUAH promotes HIV/AIDS awareness among communities of color through education, collaboration and community engagement.

National Minority Health Month is observed every April to advance health equity across the country, on behalf of all racial and ethnic minorities.

This year’s theme, Bridging Health Equity Across Communities, reminds us that individual efforts across various sectors must be coordinated to eliminate health disparities, accelerate health equity, and build a stronger, healthier nation.

In commemoration of National Minority Health Month, IDPH’s Center for Minority Health Services will be hosting a series of weekly webinars to raise awareness about health disparities as well as practices that contribute to health equity.

  • Oral Health Across the Lifespan, April 6th 11am-12pm
  • Addressing Disparities Among Target Communities in Accessing HIV and STD Services, April 13th 11am-12pm
  • Trauma-informed care and services, TBD
  • National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) in Health and Health Care, April 27th 11am-12pm

To learn more about the webinars, the speakers, and to register click here. (Please check the link often for updated webinar links and descriptions.)

To learn more about National Minority Health Month visit http://bit.ly/2oxWemr.

Join the National Conversations:

  • Wed April 12: 12 – 1:30 pm CST   HHS-OMH #Bridge2Health Twitter Town Hall
  • Tue April 25: 1 – 2 pm CST   NIMHD Twitter Chat
  • Fri April 28, 12 pm CST   HHS OMH Health Equity Call to Action Thunderclap

2017 Governor’s Proclamation for National Minority Health Month

An estimated 1.2 million people in the United States are living with HIV, and that number grows by almost 50,000 every year. One in seven people who have HIV don’t know it. That means they aren’t getting the medicine they need to stay healthy and keep from passing HIV to their partners. In Illinois, an average of 1,800 people are diagnosed with HIV each year.

  • Nationally, AIDS is the leading cause of death among African- American women age 25-34 and the second leading cause of death of African- American men age 35-44.
  • HIV/AIDS cases among African Americans are the highest among all racial/ethnic groups with a total of 1,406 cases reported in 2004 in Illinois, which consists of more than half the total reported cases in the state (2,662). Caucasians comprised 26 percent of the reported cases, Hispanics 15 percent and Asians 1.4 percent.
  • Of the total reported HIV cases among females in Illinois, 70 percent were African- American.
  • Among the total male population with HIV in Illinois, 47 percent were African American.
  • Nearly 72 percent of African-American women and 64 percent of African-American men with HIV infection reported in 2004 were younger than 40 years of age.

2017 Governor’s Proclamation for National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

Illinois HIV/AIDS STD Surveillance Update

Basic Information About HIV and AIDS

Get tested and encourage others to get tested, too.

  • Use our Text2Survive Mobile program – it’s easy, it’s convenient
  • Text event to 36363 for free health events around the state
    Text IL and your ZIP code to 36363 for a free HIV testing location near you.
  • Use http://hivcareconnect.com to find testing services, housing providers, health centers, and other service providers in Illinois
  • Quality of Life Endowment Fund
    Red Ribbon Cash Show your support for HIV/AIDS prevention, education and treatment programs and play the Illinois Red Ribbon Cash!

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