Goal 16 – Support people with lived experiences

Reduce or eliminate challenges associated with the unique lived experiences of individuals and communities experiencing health disparities.

Strategy 50 – Promote sexual/reproductive justice and bodily autonomy for transgender and cisgender women. 

Strategy 51 – Ensure all babies in Illinois are born HIV-negative by enhancing HIV testing for women whose status is unknown in the first and third trimesters of pregnancy, and supporting intensive case management programs for pregnant women living with HIV.

Strategy 52 – Ensure statewide availability of health promotion and harm reduction programs, including HIV/HCV/STI screening and treatment, syringe exchange, overdose prevention and medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for people who use drugs. 

Strategy 53 – Maintain and expand resources for programs that provide HIV/HCV screening and linkage, medical care, behavioral health care, and supportive services for people who are justice involved, including those living in jails and prisons and those recently released from these facilities.

Strategy 54 – Ensure all public schools across Illinois provide comprehensive, evidence-based sexual health education and services, including appropriate discussion of all sexual and gender identities and behaviors. 

Strategy 55 – Ensure that health care providers know that Illinois law allows minors 12 years of age or older to access sexual health services, including PrEP, without a parent’s consent.

Strategy 56 – Decriminalize sex work in Illinois and ensure that sex workers receive adequate systemic support.

Strategy 57 – Reduce HIV-related stigma and the negative impact of HIV criminalization by examining state legislation that currently criminalizes HIV exposure and transmission.   

Strategy 58 – Normalize HIV services within places where older adults receive services, including the provision of cultural humility training to employees and residents. 

Strategy 59 – Decrease loneliness and isolation among priority communities, especially among people living with HIV who are aging and long-term survivors.  

Strategy 60 – Normalize HIV services for populations experiencing disparities by training the HIV workforce on the unique health care and supportive services needs of these communities