Black health advocacy group says HIV is ‘a crisis in our community’

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — The Black Leadership Advocacy Coalition for Healthcare Equity (BLACHE) let their voices be heard in the state capitol Wednesday as they demanded more funding for Black HIV care in Illinois. BLACHE arrives in Springfield demanding more funding for Black HIV healthcare. Cameron Maine Black people are now more likely to contract HIV than White people according to the U.S. Office of Minority Health. BLACHE board chair Creola Kizart-Hampton said Illinois agreed to fund Black HIV programs to the name of $15 million in the 2021 budget, but due to staff shortages in the Illinois Department of Public Health, they still have not received the full amount of promised money.  “You cannot justify 96% of your budget going to White led organizations,” Kizart-Hampton said. “You’re not going to cut funding for them, but funding that was promised to Black led organizations that were promised the funding, it’s called a default of contract. We should be suing the state.” The HIV federal relief program called PEPFAR had $7 billion frozen late last month by President Trump. Members of the Illinois Black Caucus came in support of continued funding of Black HIV Healthcare organizations. This included State Rep. Carol...