HIV-Positive and Illinois Resident? Take the HIV and Mental Health Quiz
Illinois HIV Care Connect
Published: November 10, 2015
HIV-Positive and Illinois Resident? Take the HIV and Mental Health Quiz
Illinois HIV Care Connect reinforcing the importance of good mental health among people living with HIV
Springfield, Ill. – Nov. 10, 2015 – Good mental health is important to all, and particularly to people living with HIV. For this reason, Illinois HIV Care Connect has developed an HIV and Mental Health Quiz serving as the first step in an educational effort that will run until February 2016. The quiz can be found at ?ow.ly/Uc5KG.
Between now and mid-December, the quiz will test the baseline awareness and knowledge of the importance of good mental health among people living with HIV in Illinois. After taking the quiz, these individuals will be provided with the correct answers and directed to additional learning resources. The quiz will be promoted on Illinois HIV Care Connect’s website – www.hivcareconnect.com – and on its social media platforms: Twitter (twitter.com/ILCareConnect), Facebook (facebook.com/ILCareConnect) and Google+.
In mid-December, Illinois HIV Care Connect will introduce educational materials about HIV and mental health and will again ask people living with HIV in Illinois, including those taking the quiz prior to the introduction of the educational materials, to take the quiz to measure overall awareness and knowledge improvement.
Illinois HIV Care Connect is a statewide network providing medical case management, health care and support services to people living with HIV. Seven lead agencies coordinate the services provided to eight Illinois regions through the program, which is funded by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and federal grants and supported by the Illinois Public Health Association (IPHA). About 36,000 Illinois residents are estimated to be HIV-positive. Illinois HIV Care Connect lead agency offices located in Rockford, Peoria, Springfield, Belleville, Murphysboro, Champaign and Chicago serve people living with HIV in all of Illinois’ 102 counties.
“We look forward to working with Illinois mental health organizations, professionals and advocates to raise awareness of the importance of good mental health among people living with HIV,” said Tom Hughes, executive director of the Illinois Public Health Association. “Evidence shows that good mental health within the HIV-positive population will lead to better overall health outcomes and longer lifespans.”