On Saturday, young men who want to talk openly about sex, sexuality and sexually transmitted diseases -- you name it -- will be able to talk man-to-man during a daylong free workshop held in Chicago and other cities around the country. The event, called Project Alpha, is sponsored by the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.
After services at Southlawn United Methodist Church let out Sunday, members not only exchanged hugs and handshakes and mingled over coffee, they also waited to get their gums and cheeks swabbed. About 40 people at Southlawn, in Chicago s Avalon Park community, were tested Sunday for HIV during the First Ladies Health D
Federal regulators decided not to disqualify a prominent North Side HIV doctor whose clinic submitted fictitious data in a drug trial. Instead, the Food and Drug Administration agreed to allow Dr. Daniel Berger to continue working on drug trials as long as an outside medical monitor periodically reviews his work for th
Twitter provides fast, efficient way for HIV-infected woman to broadcast safe sex message, urge testing It s a Friday night, around the time many men and women are headed to their favorite local bar or club to kick off the weekend. In her studio apartment on Chicago s Gold Coast, Rae Lewis-Thornton curls up with a cup
If you want to understand why Chicago has the nation s most severe heroin problem, drop by a small West Side office that s right at the epicenter. It s a clinic run by the University of Illinois at Chicago that offers clean syringes, HIV tests and other services to those buying $10 baggies of dope on the drug-soaked st
As agencies struggle to preserve cash-strapped HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment programs in the Chicago area, President Barack Obama on Tuesday laid out an ambitious plan to reduce the annual number of new infections by 25 percent nationwide over the next five years. In Chicago, where more than 1,000 people are newly
Heroin abuse in the Chicago area has gotten worse over the last decade, creating a crisis that is perhaps more extreme than anywhere else in the country, Roosevelt University researchers conclude in a new study. The report, to be released Monday, finds that the area has seen an increase in people admitted to emergency
HIV testing is available through doctors offices, public and private health clinics, hospitals and many community health organizations. Blood tests are most common, but there also are urine and mouth fluid tests. Rapid testing provides results in about 20 minutes. A positive result must be confirmed by another kind of
It s supposed to be this simple: A teenager goes in for an annual physical, and at some point the doctor says: HIV testing is a routine part of the exam. Would you rather not be tested? But almost four years after federal officials urged that routine HIV testing begin at age 13, unless the patient declines, experts say
Medical Marijuana: Few studies have been done that show the effects--positive or negative--of using marijuana to treat diseases and symptoms. In about a dozen states, you can smoke a joint if you have cancer or HIV and meet certain conditions, like having a doctor s note. In California, you can light up if you have jus
In a rare move, federal regulators are seeking to disqualify a prominent Chicago HIV doctor from future drug studies after they discovered his clinic committed one of the most grievous sins of medical research: submitting fictitious data in a drug trial. The Food and Drug Administration said Dr. Daniel Berger failed to
Ban to remain in place, may change in the future pending further research. A high-level federal public health committee Friday declined to recommend a change in restrictions on blood donations by gay men, but it proposed research that could eventually allow some currently barred men to give blood. In voting 9 to 6 agai
On a recent Sunday morning, the Rev. Stephen Thurston stood on the pulpit before a packed New Covenant Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago while a health care worker swabbed his upper and lower gums. After his sermon, she announced the results: Thurston had tested negative for HIV. It was an unusual scene in an Africa
In March, Jeff Ramone was invited to participate in a splashy, state-funded ad campaign to encourage people to get tested for HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases. The Andersonville resident was told that the new campaign was paid for by the Illinois Department of Public Health and would launch in April to great
Few studies have been done that show the effects -- positive or negative -- of using marijuana to treat diseases and symptoms In about a dozen states, you can smoke a joint if you have cancer or HIV and meet certain conditions, like having a doctor s note. In California, you can light up if you have just about anything
When Zoe Lehman talks about the newest version of the female condom, she s equal parts women s health care advocate ( It s an incredible prevention tool that empowers women ) and sex therapist ( we tell women the double rings are amazingly pleasurable ). After listening to her, you begin to wonder whether the only thin
A program that caters to the unique needs of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender senior citizens received nearly half a million dollars in federal funding Tuesday, opening the door for a wide range of initiatives organizers hope will assist thousands of older Chicagoans. The program, Services and Advocacy for GLBT E
This information is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.