Chicago increases
its HIV prevention fund for 2007

The Chicago city council voted Wednesday to increase its HIV prevention fund to $500,000. The increase was a proposal by Mayor Richard M. Daley and is part of the 2007 citywide budget, reported in a statement released Wednesday. "We thank Mayor Daley and the city council for increasing HIV prevention resources in Chicago," said Mark Ishaug, executive director of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago. "We cannot turn the tide against this epidemic without investing in proven prevention programs. We must continue to advocate loudly and strongly at all levels of government for additional prevention and care resources." Chicago will issue $4,229,500 in city funds for HIV prevention in 2007, a significant increase from the $3,729,500 given to the cause last year. Also, as it has done since 2003, Chicago will allocate $500,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant funds to HIV prevention. In October 2006, Mayor Daley originally introduced a budget that did not include an increase for HIV prevention funding. However, due to hundreds of phone calls protesting the oversight, the budget was changed to include additional HIV prevention services. (The Advocate).