PACPI News & Events

Support PACPI, while enjoying sweets and bubbles with a beautiful view! The Metropolitan Club Women's Connections Committee will hold their annual Chocolate & Champagne Tasting on Wednesday, May 1 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Willis Tower (232 S. Franklin), 67th Floor. PACPI will be accepting $10 donations at the door.

Taste savory hors d'oeuvres and decadent samples made by baking and patisserie students from Le Cordon Bleu and local chocolatiers at The Metropolitan Club, accompanied by beverages from champagne, Prosecco and Cava producers.

Tickets are $25, plus a $10 donation to PACPI. Click here to RSVP and for more information.

Hope to see you there!

PACPI Board President Dr. Daniel Johnson spoke to WGN last night, about the first functional cure of HIV in a child.

Click here for the full story.

HIV/AIDS history was made today.

Scientists have reported the first functional cure of HIV in a child.

While this is exciting news, there is still much we do not know. PACPI is waiting, along with you and the rest of the world, to see this story unfold and learn what it will mean for the future of HIV/AIDS prevention.

In the meantime, there are still mothers and babies in Illinois who need quality care and prevention services. Since our inception in 2000, PACPI has helped reduce the rate of mother-to-child HIV transmission in the state of Illinois to less than 2%. But in a funding environment rife with budget cuts, our future is always uncertain.

Donate to PACPI today, and help HIV-positive pregnant women and new moms, and their children, in Illinois.

• $5 pays for round-trip public transportation fare, so a client can go to the doctor for prenatal and HIV care
• $20 pays for 2 cans of formula (HIV-positive women cannot breastfeed their babies and WIC does not supply enough for the entire month)
• $40 purchases diapers and wipes for a client's newborn baby
• $50 buys a car seat - required by law to leave the hospital with a baby, but out of reach financially for the majority of PACPI clients

Please donate today and share this info with your friends. For more information about PACPI, please call (312) 334-0972 or email lauren@pacpi.org

"PACPI was such a blessing." - Amy, PACPI client

PACPI's Enhanced Case Managers work with HIV-positive pregnant women who have the most difficulty seeking care. Through direct services and prenatal education, PACPI provides women and their partners with basic parenting skills such as feeding, childhood immunizations and assistance with giving medications to the baby. PACPI’s Perinatal HIV Enhanced Case Management team help moms keep vital doctor appointments for HIV treatment, leading to a healthier life for both mom and baby.

Last year, PACPI successfully linked all 133 case managed women to prenatal care and care for their HIV disease. Without any intervention, 1 in 4 mothers would have passed HIV to their baby.

With end of 2012 quickly approaching, your help is needed to make this season joyful for HIV-positive mothers and their babies. Even a small amount makes a big difference:

• $25 buys a week’s worth of food for a mother and her family
• $35 buys diapers and wipes for a newborn baby
• $50 buys round-trip taxi transportation to an essential medical appointment or prenatal class specifically tailored to HIV-positive pregnant women
• $60 buys diapers and wipes for a newborn baby
• $65 buys a car seat, required by Illinois law for a baby to leave the hospital yet financially out of reach for many HIV-positive mothers
• $100 buys a bassinet so baby can have a healthy, safe place to sleep, or a supply of bottles and formula

Please consider making a donation to support the work of PACPI's Enhanced Case Management Program and to help moms like Theresa and their children enjoy a wonderful, healthy holiday.

In 2013, let's make None Born Positive a reality.

You've heard of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, right?

Well, today is the first annual Giving Tuesday and PACPI will join other nonprofit organizations, families and businesses to change the way people talk about, think about and participate in this season of giving.

Giving Tuesday is a national day of giving that kicks off the holidays by celebrating and encouraging charitable activities.

Celebrate Giving Tuesday by donating to PACPI, and help HIV-positive pregnant women and new moms, and their children, in Illinois. As we approach World AIDS Day on Saturday, December 1, PACPI needs your support more than ever.

If you can make a donation, every little bit helps.

• $5 pays for round-trip public transportation fare, so a client can go to the doctor for prenatal and HIV care
• $20 pays for 2 cans of formula (HIV-positive women cannot breastfeed their babies)
• $40 purchases diapers and wipes for a client's newborn baby
• $50 buys a car seat - required by law to leave the hospital with a baby, but out of reach financially for the majority of PACPI clients

Please donate today and share this link with your friends.

This Giving Tuesday, let's work to make None Born Positive a reality.

PACPI Board Chair Dr. Patricia Garcia and PACPI Executive Director Anne Statton co-authored the article "Perinatal HIV testing and diagnosis in Illinois after implementation of the Perinatal Rapid Testing Initiative" in this month's American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology. Congratulations to all involved in this exciting new study! Click here to read.

Photos of Team PACPI at the AIDS Run & Walk are now up on the PACPI Facebook page. Make sure to "like" us and share it with your friends! (And if you're on Twitter, follow us there too!)

Remember, Team PACPI can raise funds until October 31. Will you help us get to $13,000? Click here to donate, and thank you for your support of HIV-positive pregnant women and new moms in Illinois.

Go team!

The AIDS Run & Walk on September 30 was a beautiful day, and a successful one for Team PACPI, who had 33 members and raised $12,000!

Team PACPI may continue fundraising until October 31 - so if you haven't yet, please click here to donate and share the link with your friends! Even $20 can help buy formula for an HIV-positive new mom, who cannot breastfeed due to transmission risk.

Thank you to everyone who donated and spread the word, for being a part of something big!

The AIDS Run & Walk kicks off this Sunday, September 30 at Soldier Field. To be eligible for next year, PACPI must raise $10,000 - and we are about $1,200 short.

Please consider making a donation to Team PACPI - even $5 can help an HIV-positive pregnant woman afford public transportation to a vital doctor's appointment.

To donate, click here or call Lauren at 312-334-0972.

Help PACPI achieve our mission: None Born Positive.

Thank you for your support!

This Sunday, September 9th is Grandparent's Day.

If you are lucky to have a grandparent in your life, or your life has been enriched by a grandparent, consider honoring them with a donation to Team PACPI for the AIDS Run & Walk.

Proceeds from Team PACPI benefit our work with HIV-positive pregnant women and new moms, striving to eradicate pediatric AIDS in Illinois and ensure an AIDS-free generation that will grow up to be the best parents and grandparents possible.

If you have already given, please share the link and share the love.

Thank you for your support, and Happy Grandparent's Day!

PACPI will soon embark on an exciting new partnership! Thanks to a grant from Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Howard Brown Health Center (HBHC) and Near North Health Service Corporation (NNHSC) will expand their capacity to care for more women, infants and youth affected by HIV. PACPI will provide additional coordinated support and services to assist HIV-positive pregnant women.

Click here to read the full press release.

Enjoy a lovely run or walk while supporting PACPI! This year's AIDS Run & Walk will take place Sunday, September 30 at Chicago's Soldier Field. Participants may walk or run a 5K or 10K. 90% of proceeds raised by Team PACPI benefit our safety net of prevention for HIV-positive pregnant women and new moms. Click here to sign up!

Not a runner or walker? Donate here!

PACPI extends our deepest gratitude to Whole Foods Market for their in-kind sponsorship of our Summer Prenatal Classes! Chicago's South Loop location generously provided sandwiches, pita and hummus, and fruits and veggies for our HIV-positive pregnant clients as they learned about proper nutrition, infant care and HIV/AIDS during an intensive 12-hour class held over the course of three weeks.

Thank you so much, Whole Foods!

The Illinois Department of Public Health recently revised HIV testing regulations, to reflect changes made to the updated Illinois state law. Read the new guidelines here!

PACPI's community partner, the Pegasus Players, are offering pay-what-you-can tickets to PACPI supporters! Their powerful show "In the Continuum" chronicles the experiences of two very different HIV-positive women in Zimbabwe and Los Angeles. A collection for PACPI is taken at each Friday performance.

If you would like to take advantage of this offer, call 773-878-8864 ext. 1 or email boxoffice@pegasusplayers.org and use the code "HIV".

"In the Continuum" runs through June 17.

Click here to read Jessica Whitfield's story for Medill News Services about PACPI, the None Born Positive campaign and how our work with HIV-positive moms may be at risk. Whitfield spoke with PACPI staff and former clients. Please share the link with your friends!

Enjoy a lovely run or walk while supporting PACPI! This year's AIDS Run & Walk will take place Sunday, September 30 at Chicago's Soldier Field. Participants may walk or run a 5K or 10K. 90% of proceeds raised by Team PACPI benefit our safety net of prevention for HIV-positive pregnant women and new moms.

Click here to sign up!

PACPI is dedicated to the mission of None Born Positive.

However, Governor Pat Quinn and the Illinois General Assembly are considering cutting HIV programs by $4 million, which will result in a 50% funding slash to community-based prevention programs like PACPI.

If the proposed cuts pass, PACPI may be forced to close its doors.

Based on data obtained from the Illinois Department of Public Health, these reductions would cause 108 additional people infected with HIV, including 38 infants. None Born Positive will never become a reality.

Here's how you can help:

Sign the petition to protect critical health services for people with HIV.

Click here for information on emailing, calling and visiting your legislators.

Spread the word. Together we can make None Born Positive a reality.

Did you know that HIV-positive mothers can give birth to HIV-negative babies?

Or that an HIV-positive man can father a HIV-negative baby?

Today, virtually no babies should be born HIV-positive. Education, testing and treatment, can prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission by 98%.

If you didn’t know that, you’re not alone. That’s why the Pediatric AIDS Chicago Prevention Initiative (PACPI) partnered with the AIDS Foundation of Chicago and the Cause Marketing Initiative at Northwestern University to launch a public education initiative called “None Born Positive.”

Throughout Chicago, starting April 30, 2012, you will begin to see public transit ads encouraging people to call PACPI if they’re HIV-positive and pregnant (or considering pregnancy). Online, you can follow the conversation on Twitter (#nonebornpositive) or through our Facebook page.

And in honor of your own parents and children, we hope you’ll consider donating to PACPI this Mother’s Day to ensure that none is born with HIV. Together, we can end mother-to-child transmissions.

Donate today and give the gift of an HIV-free life. 

For the full preview of our None Born positive campaign, click here.

On April 28, Team PACPI will begin training for the Chicago Triathlon as part of Team to End AIDS! T2EA uses endurance sports and social activities to raise funds and awareness in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The Chicago Triathlon takes place August 26 and involves a 1500-meter (.92 miles) swim, a 40k (24.8 mile) bike ride and a 10k (6.2 mile) run. Proceeds from Team PACPI support our crucial programs. To learn more or make a donation, click here!

PACPI has joined Zealous Good, a wonderful website that matches nonprofits in need of in-kind donations with those who want to give. We are always in need of baby supplies (car seats, diapers and wipes, bottles, etc), as well as healthy food for our prenatal classes and clothing for mom and baby. Please check out and share our profile, or email lauren@pacpi.org for more information!

Want to raise money for PACPI and have some fun? On Saturday, April 21 at 10 p.m., the Chicago Spirit Brigade will host a show at The Call (1547 W. Bryn Mawr, in Chicago's Andersonville neighborhood). Suggested donation is $5, and Chicago Spirit Brigade will donate all proceeds plus 25% to PACPI! Enjoy the stylings of Ashley Morgan and the "Call Girls" while quaffing a $5 Absolut cocktail. More information about the event here - please share it with your friends. See you there!

PACPI prenatal classes (specifically tailored to HIV-positive pregnant women) will be held on April 25, May 2 and May 9 from 12:00pm - 4:00pm, at the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (200 W. Jackson Blvd., Suite 2200). Topics include newborn care, medication adherence and reproductive health. Lunch and child care are provided. Please contact Mary Brewster, Program Coordinator, at 312-334-0971 or mary@pacpi.org for more information or to register. 

Over the holidays, PACPI received a wonderful gift from a new friend. Discovery Chicago employees collected over $2,000 worth of gift cards for PACPI moms! These gift cards - for places such as Target, Walgreens and Jewel - will help our clients to buy baby supplies, groceries and other necessities for their growing families!

Discovery Chicago goes beyond traditional thinking to examine the environmental landscape. The agency's deep experience with thought leaders, clinicians, patients, and healthcare organizations provide insight to create enduring and effective medical communications.  Discovery Chicago's programs are grounded in sound strategic thinking, providing the education clinicians need to make informed and appropriate decisions about the clinical care and management of their patients.

Visit Discovery Chicago's website to learn more!

A simple click of the mouse can help HIV-infected pregnant women in Illinois. PACPI is part of the CITGO Fueling Good Giveaway, which will distribute free gasoline to nonprofit organizations who receive the most votes.

PACPI underwrites transportation expenses for clients to attend essential medical appointments and treatment. Any help with this effort is very much appreciated!

Click here to vote - you may vote once per day until February 9, and please share the link with friends!

Due to instructor conflict, the dates of the Winter 2012 Prenatal Classes have been changed.

The class will now take place February 1, February 8 and February 15 from noon to 4 pm at the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (200 W. Jackson Blvd., Suite 2200).

Classes are open to all HIV-positive pregnant women. To register, contact PACPI Program Coordinator Mary Brewster at (312) 334-0971 or mary@pacpi.org.

PACPI helped 131 HIV-positive women last year! To learn more, click here for our latest Annual Report.

Interested in making a gift to PACPI for the holidays? Contact Development Coordinator Lauren Whalen at lauren@pacpi.org or click here to make an online donation. Thank you for your support! 

PACPI prenatal classes (specifically tailored to HIV-positive pregnant women) will be held on January 25, February 1 and February 8 from 12:00pm - 4:00pm, at the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (200 W. Jackson Blvd., Suite 2200). Please contact Mary Brewster, Program Coordinator, at 312-334-0971 or mary@pacpi.org for more information or to register.

Case Manager Lucy Rios has been named a recipient of the Women of Achievement Healthcare Award by the Lake County YWCA.  Lucy is being honored for excellence in her 15 year career working in HIV/AIDS as a bilingual outreach counselor, case manager, and health educator.  The award ceremony will be held on May 20, 2011.  For more information visit http://www.ywca.org/site/pp.asp?c=6dKIIWNtEnG&b=6538459.  Congratulations Lucy!

In the August 25, 2010 issue of Streetwise, PACPI client ‘Susan’ discusses how she overcame isolation, homelessness and AIDS through the PACPI Housing Program.  Read full article HERE.

The HIV-specific PACPI prenatal classes will be held on July 13, July 20 and July 27 from 12:00pm - 4:00pm. Please contact Mary Brewster, Program Coordinator, at 312-334-0971 or mbrewster@aidschicago.org for more information or to register.

On June 3rd, PACPI received a $7,500 grant from the Children Affected by AIDS Foundation (CAAF) to support new moms and their newborns. The grant will specifically provide support to PACPI to ensure that newborns will have the basic essentials including infant carriers, bassinets or cribs, diapers, diaper bags and digital thermometers. PACPI is extremely grateful for this support and looks forward to strengthening our relationship with CAAF to support the women and children we serve.
 

After 10 years of dedicated service and commitment to serving the nutritional needs of PACPI’s clients, our prenatal class food vendor, Levy Restaurants, has decided to move on to allow other food vendors to contribute to the needs of HIV-positive pregnant women. PACPI is in need of a new food vendor to take over this service, which includes providing lunch for 15 women for 3 class sessions 5 to 6 times a year. Interested food vendors should contact PACPI Program Coordinator, Gretchen Weiss at 312-334-0971 for more details on how your food service or restaurant can help out.

Become a fan of PACPI through Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PACPI2000 and follow us on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/PACPI

A comprehensive report and guide outlining the medical and legal surrounding HIV and pregnancy in the US is available through the Center for HIV Law & Policy website. The Legal Supplement, available upon request, details the legal issues advocates may face when representing a woman living with HIV throughout pregnancy, and provides legal arguments and strategies to best represent women living with HIV.
To request a copy of the Legal Supplement, please contact Rene Bennett at rbennett@hivlawandpolicy.org.

To download the HIV and Pregnancy guide (without the Supplement), go to: http://www.hivlawandpolicy.org/resources/view/474.