We are entering a new era of HIV and AIDS care and prevention in Illinois — an era where the end of the HIV epidemic in our state is within reach. After nearly three years of considering the latest HIV science, gathering extensive community feedback, and developing a robust six-pronged plan, on May 15, 2019, Getting to Zero Illinois (GTZ-IL) launched the first stage of a planExit Disclaimer to end the epidemic in Illinois by 2030.The plan details a hopeful and achievable path toward virtually eliminating new HIV transmissions and improving overall health care access in Illinois so that all Illinoisans can thrive.

The Getting to Zero Illinois plan shares a core foundation with Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America. “There are synergies with activities that will unfold as part of the national plan, to end the epidemic, and this is no accident, because both are based on science and data,” said John Peller, President/CEO of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, a leading partner of GTZ-IL alongside the Chicago and Illinois departments of public health. Cook County, IL is one of the jurisdictions prioritized in Phase I of the national plan.

Both plans rely on increasing the numbers of people who are virally suppressed and using PrEP. We have dubbed this the 20+20 Target for Getting to Zero Illinois, in that 20 percentage-point increases are needed in each of those arenas to achieve zero new HIV infections in Illinois. Getting to Zero Illinois will benefit from ongoing collaboration with the national plan; together we can change the future of HIV and AIDS in Illinois and across the United States.

Learn more at GTZillinois.HIVExit Disclaimer.