Vivent Health, an HIV care provider, and Test Positive Aware Network (TPAN) announced a collaboration with Chicago’s Northwestern Medicine to bring HIV care and other medical services to Chicagoans via a new health center opening in the fall, reports Vivent Health.

 

The center will be located in the Edgewater neighborhood in Chicago’s North Side.

 

Vivent Health serves nearly 17,00 people at locations spanning six states. It merged with Chicago-based TPAN in March 2023.

 

 

As of 2022, about 37,300 people live with HIV and AIDS in Illinois, about 19,000 of whom live in Chicago and broader Cook County, according to Getting to Zero Illinois (GTZ) data. Many of those living with HIV are not engaged in care, especially people who experience socioeconomic barriers and structural challenges and identify as African American and are 30 years old or younger, according to Vivent Health.

 

Indeed, African Americans make up about 27% of Chicago’s population but account for 55% of new HIV diagnoses, which is double the rate for Latino residents and five times the rate for white residents. What’s more, despite declines in HIV-related mortality, HIV remains the fourth leading cause of death among Chicagoans between ages 34 and 55.

 

To lower rates of HIV and offer treatment to those who are positive, Vivent Health and TPAN partnered with Northwestern Medicine to provide HIV and primary care, prevention, behavioral and mental health, social services and more all in one location.

 

“This unique opportunity brings together the best of community and academic models for HIV care to deliver the optimal results for patients,” said Jo-Ann Jose, MD, MPH, an infectious disease specialist at Northwestern, who will be providing care at Vivent Health/TPAN. “Patients receive their medical care in an integrated model with wraparound services, such as a food pantry, housing assistance and case management, and pharmacy that are immediately accessible in a community setting.”

 

Vivent Health has extended its services throughout the years. For example, the organization recently merged with UNIFIED, a Detroit-based provider of HIV services. News of the merger came as Vivent welcomed its new president and CEO, Brandon Hill, PhD, who has an extensive background in LGBTQ and sexual health care services.

 

“There are great existing models of HIV care in Chicago,” Hill told Vivent. “Because our integrated approach addresses co-occurring inequities, pervasive barriers to care and increased adherence support, we believe our model is complementary to the Chicago HIV care community and will be an efficacious addition to improving care engagement among marginalized and often hard-to-reach populations.”

 

With a new health center opening in the fall, Chicagoans will have access to specialty care, advanced diagnostics, clinical trials and other services offered by Northwestern.

 

To read more, click #Vivent Health. There, you’ll find headlines such as “Vivent Health to Expand Its HIV Medical Home in Milwaukee,” Vivent Health Opens a New HIV Care Facility in Kansas City, Missouri” and “Vivent Health’s Food Pantries Help Keep HIV Clients Undetectable.”