AIDS Legal Council of Chicago, in conjunction with the Illinois Department of Public Health, launched a statewide toll-free hotline Feb. 1 to provide public benefits counsel to any HIV-positive person in Illinois. 

HIV-positive individuals and their case managers may use the number to connect with ALLC legal staff immediately. Among the services the hotline provides are helping individuals identify benefits for which they qualify, counseling on public and private healthcare options, advising those whose health care is in danger of being lost and advising individuals on accessing medication through their Medicare plan.

“The vital impact of this project is two-fold,” said Pete Subkoviak, of ALCC. “First, it fills a critical hole in the public health system by allowing ALCC to advise HIV-positive individuals on the multitude of public benefits options they may qualify for.”

“Secondly,” he added, “for the first time, individuals in smaller cities and rural areas of our state can receive HIV benefits expertise, all from the privacy of their own home.”

“Our new toll free number fills a critical gap in our healthcare system,” said ALCC Executive Director Ann Hilton Fisher. “Illinois has worked hard to create a safety net for people with HIV, but the complexities of qualifying for the various programs can be daunting for many.”

The ALCC hotline is at (866) 506-3038, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

—Matt Simonette