The fight for AIDS funding equity
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Ald. Roderick Sawyer. Photo: Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
Ald. Roderick Sawyer wants more AIDS/HIV funds for Black-led organizations fighting an epidemic disproportionately affecting their communities.
Why it matters: Only a fraction of the $43.6 million spent by the CDPH on AIDS last year went to Black-led organizations.
- Today is World AIDS day, and a City Council health committee heard testimony calling for more equitable AIDS funding this week.
What they're saying: "It's easy to see the current funding model isn't working," Sawyer tells Axios. "The majority of the money goes to organizations that aren't part of our community, and we're left to sharecrop."
- "We need agencies that have cultural competency to address the crisis in our communities," Creola A. Kizart-Hampton, founding director of Black Leadership Advocacy Coalition for Healthcare Equity, said in a press release.
The other side: CDPH officials say their programs "regardless of who runs them or where they are located — prioritize services for Black and Latino gay, bisexual, and other same gender-loving men."
- But they insist federal funds must go to AIDS programs offering "medical treatment or housing" rather than prevention, which many Black-led organizations provide.
- Sawyer's backers don't agree with that interpretation of funding rules.
What's next: To remedy the imbalance, CDPH says it's "working to support Black-led organizations" with "technical assistance … and exploring opportunities for small organizations to expand their services to include areas where more funding may be available."
Of note: In the most recent reporting year (2020), Chicago saw its lowest number of new cases of AIDS since 1987.
What we're watching: Lacking a quorum at this week's Health Committee meeting, Sawyer says he'll bring it up at the next one.