Ammons Urges Equitable Funding to Combat Black American HIV/AIDS

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – As Chair Emeritus and notable member of the Illinois Black Caucus Foundation (ILBCF), state Rep. Carol Ammons, D-Urbana, joined Black Leadership Advocacy Coalition for Healthcare Equity (BLACHE) in a recent press conference for Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day to address the inequitable incidence and impact of the illnesses in African American communities across Illinois.

“Year after year, the disparities in healthcare outcomes for our Black communities remain glaring. We cannot afford inaction while Black communities face disproportionately high rates of HIV/AIDS illness and limited access to life-saving resources. It’s about time we stand up, read the situation as what it is, and demand real solutions, ” said Ammons. “Adequate funding for Black-led health organizations is absolutely essential to ensuring that every Illinoisan, regardless of race, has favorable health outcomes.”

Racism is still a public health issue, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. Although African Americans make up just 14% of Illinois’ population, they comprise 48% of new HIV diagnoses and 52% of existing AIDS diagnoses — a percentage that has remained unchanged for almost two decades.

ILBCF Chair Emirtus Carol Ammons says the state must advocate for increased funding to level the playing field for Black-led community-based organizations, including upping engagement within the state’s health agencies to identify African American health disparities and dismantle systemic barriers cloaked in antiquated or Black-limited rhetoric.

Ammons’ work alongside the Illinois Black Caucus (ILBC) prioritizes policy solutions and processes that provide equitable, life-saving resources to disadvantaged communities and the people they both employ and serve, priorities that will remain top of mind for Ammons as she heads into a new legislative session serving on several influential committees.

“Our state is overdue for an aggressive response — we need an immediate increase in funding for Black-led health organizations and mandatory oversight of our public health agency to slow down this deadly illness taking the lives of so many Black individuals and tearing families and communities apart with it,” said Ammons. “Without immediate intervention, the state is perpetuating this preventable health crisis and widening the gap in health equity for our families.”