HowardBrown Health Center is the newest Chicago meeting location for Weight Watchers!
Beginning Monday, October 13th at 6:30 p.m., lesbian, queer, bisexual and transgender women will find the support they need to meet their weight loss goals through discussions of the issues and challenges specific to them. Future meetings will be held every Monday night at 6:30 p.m. at Howard Brown Health Center, 4025 N. Sheridan Rd.
For further information, please contact Hope Barrett at (773) 388-8906 or hopeb@howardbrown.org.
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Click the invitation for more information...
Howard Brown Welcomes Dr. Kelly Ducheny
Howard Brown is pleased to welcome Dr. Kelly Ducheny, Psy.D., to our staff. With a background in multicultural psychology and issues specific to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender clients, Dr. Ducheny will head Behavioral Health Services. Click here to learn more…
Monthly EXPOSE Drop-in for Women
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The Lesbian Community Care Project (LCCP) of Howard Brown Health Center, will offer free breast and cervical cancer screenings to uninsured women during our drop-in night for lesbian, bisexual and queer women.
The screenings with Howard Brown providers will be offered from 6:00pm -8:00 pm, with a discussion on "Healthy Relationships", facilitated by an in-house expert, held concurrently from 6:00pm -7:00 pm.
Drop-in nights for lesbian, bisexual and queer women are hosted by LCCP at Howard Brown Health Center on the last Wednesday of each month, with a rotating list of topics presented informally. Topics will include heart health, LGBT parenthood, substance abuse, mental health, osteoporosis, menopause, body image/nutrition, ovarian and breast cancer, and diabetes.
There is no appointment or RSVP necessary, and services will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis.
Find more information here...
Congratulations to the Brown Elephant Resale Shops for being named the Best Thrift Store(s) in Chicago for 2008 by readers of the Chicago Reader!
Howard Brown Welcomes Dr. Regina Kim
Howard Brown is pleased to welcome Dr. Regina Kim, M.D. to our staff. Dr. Kim is a multilingual physician specializing in family practice medicine and women’s health issues. Click here to learn more…
Howard Brown Peace Garden
On Friday, June 6, Howard Brown dedicated their new Peace Garden in memory of two of our community's friends and activists, Lisa Tonna and Mary M. York. Thanks to generous support from Christy Webber Landscapes, volunteers from Deloitte, and community friend Clear, this beautiful garden will serve as a memory to two women who tirelessly devoted their lives to ensuring everyone had access to culturally competent care. Click here to see the amazing transformation!
Howard Brown Welcomes Dr. Deborah Cano
 Howard Brown is pleased to welcome Deborah Cano, M.D. Dr. Cano, a board-certified psychiatrist, specializes in addiction, and will be seeing clients on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday at the Sheridan Road facility. Read more about Dr. Cano here.
CubsCare Supports Domestic Violence Program at Howard Brown
Michael Cook, Howard Brown President and CEO, pictured here (right) with Cubs infielder Ryan Theriot at yesteday's grant luncheon. Michael was there to accept a grant in support of Howard Brown's Domestic Violence Program. For more information on our DV program, please contact Coordinator of Violence Recovery Project, at 773-388-8882.
Read the latest issue of Research News!
 Some of the articles in this issue include Transgender Youth Research at Howard Brown; Proyecto Latina: Homophobia in Latino/a Communities & Families; LGBT Adolescents: Homelessness: Violence, Distress, Discrimination and Resilience; and Ethnic Differences in HIV Disclosure and Transmission Risk.
Howard Brown launched The Chicago Elder Community Initiative at a press conference held at the agency's main location. With initial funding of $120,000 for the project from Baxter International Foundation and the Chicago Community Trust, Howard Brown has received an additional $383,000 federal grant to support the region’s first all-inclusive program for LGBT seniors under the sponsorship of one of our community’s staunchest supporters, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky. Read more here. Photo (from left) Alderman Helen Shiller, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, Howard Brown CEO Michael Cook, and Amber Hollibaugh, Senior Strategist, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.
Donate today!
Click here for: Donations and Locations and Hours
Howard Brown partners to create LGBT Elder Services
Howard Brown is partnering with Rush University Medical Center, Council for Jewish Elderly, Midwest Palliative & Hospice CareCenter, and Heartland Alliance to design and develop a comprehensive health program for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender older adults. Click here to learn more about this program, and how you can participate.
Quit smoking with Howard Brown!
Call 773-388-8682 today to sign up. This program is designed specifically for the LGBT community and various program locations available. Partial financial support for Bitch to Quit provided by the American Legacy Foundation and these community partners:
The following surveys are being conducted by Howard Brown's Research and Community Initiative Departments. Click on the link below to access these online surveys. Your input is invaluable and we appreciate your taking time to respond!
Elder Services Community Initiative
Elder Services Community Initiative (for Providers)
LGBT Parenting
Cancer Survivor Survey
Netherland dignitaries visit Howard Brown
From left: Howard Brown CEO Michael Cook; Hope Barrett, Director of Community Initiatives, Howard Brown; Cor Hersbach, Deputy Consul General, Netherlands; Paul Bekkers, Director, Social and Institutional Development, Netherlands; Dr. Tom Barrett, Chief Medical Officer, Howard Brown; and Blase Masini, Director of Research, Howard Brown.
Howard Brown and LCCP announce merger
In a press conference held on October 24, Howard Brown Health Center and the Lesbian Community Cancer Project (LCCP) announced that they will merge. LCCP will become the Lesbian Community Care Project of Howard Brown Health Center. Read more here. Photo from left: Howard Brown CEO Michael Cook, LCCP Interim ED Cat Jefcoat, Howard Brown Board Chair Jon Hinard, LCCP Board Chair Dominique Leonardi
 David Gitomer has been an advocate for the HIV/AIDS community for more than twenty years, facilitating the longest-running support group for Howard Brown Health Center. In the 1980s, Howard Brown was at the forefront of the HIV/AIDS crisis in Chicago and the Midwest. As Howard Brown's medical and mental health clinic began to see more clients with HIV/AIDS, it became clear that a support group was needed where those afflicted could have a safe and affirming environment to express their feelings, emotions, and experiences. Although the need for a group was clear, it was a completely new concept and no one was willing to step up and facilitate the group, until David stood up and volunteered. This group, called the HIV/AIDS Peer Support Group, is still facilitated today - more than twenty years later - by David. The impact of David's commitment to Howard Brown and the clients we serve is monumental.
The road has not always been easy for David. "Those were difficult times," he says with emotion in his voice. The group itself was successful from the start: 30 people signed up immediately. But 12 died in the first month, and at least one person died every month until protease inhibitors were approved. Over the last two decades David has seen hundreds of people come through the group, and keeps a list which he looks at often. His ability to remember names and faces, and more importantly their stories, is amazing. He maintains contact with many of them long after they no longer need the group or has moved away. When asked why he has done this for the past 20 years, David simply says, "It's the most rewarding thing I've ever done in my life. I hear so much week after week about the art of living. It's not just the group night for me; I communicate regularly with members of the group during the week via email if they need it. I've never once felt that it was draining me."
As a community based healthcare organization, we rely on people like David to help us serve our clients, who in turn rely on us. There have been tough times for David when he has thought it has been time to let it go - but he has never given up. We think he is remarkable! For more information about the Tuesday night HIV/AIDS Peer Support Group, call 773- 388-1600.
Cook named Outstanding Community Leader
 Howard Brown President and CEO Michael Cook was honored as Outstanding Community Leader by the Chicago Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals May 18. Among his many accomplishments, he was praised for leading Howard Brown in expanding and initiating partnerships with diverse ethnic communities and organizations. Click here for the full story.
Howard Brown, Children's Memorial, and NIH form historic partnership with Chicago philanthropist Ann Lurie
 Chicago philanthropist Ann Lurie entered into a new, public-private partnership with Children’s Memorial Research Center, Howard Brown Health Center and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) through donating $1.3 million to fund the Adolescent Medicine Trials Network (ATN) for HIV/AIDS research. This is the first time that a private philanthropist, in collaboration with the Foundation for the NIH and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, has funded a peer-reviewed, federally sponsored project that directly benefits children and adolescents in Illinois. Howard Brown Deputy Director and Children’s Memorial’s adolescent specialist, Robert Garofalo, MD, MPH (pictured here at the press conference) is the project’s principal investigator. Read the press release here.
Technical Assistance and Capacity Development Demonstration Program
Howard Brown and the Executive Service Corps of Chicago (ESC) have been funded through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health to provide free Technical Assistance and Capacity Development (TA/CD) to organizations providing HIV prevention and/or care services to minority communities. The project’s goal is to reduce HIV infection rates by building a stronger, more cohesive network of HIV prevention services. By addressing areas where agencies may need assistance, the project aims to improve their fiscal and operational capacity to deliver HIV prevention or care services, allowing them to reach more people at risk. Click here to find out more about this program or to apply.
Howard Brown and South Side Help Center Partner to Address HIV; CDC funds three-year project
Howard Brown is pleased to announce that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded a three-year, $950,000 grant to develop and test a culturally tailored HIV intervention for African American men who have sex with men (MSM).Principal investigator Dr. David McKirnan, Ph.D. of The University of Illinois at Chicago and Howard Brown will team with HIV prevention experts at the South Side Help Center (SSHC), a long-standing HIV prevention and direct care agency on the south side of Chicago.“It is indeed an honor to partner with Howard Brown in designing and testing effective interventions for African American men who have sex with men,” said Betty Smith, South Side Help Center Executive Director, (pictured above with Michael Cook , Howard Brown President and CEO). “Given the fact that African American MSM are more likely to contract HIV, interventions which effectively target this group have not been well represented or evaluated in the literature. I feel that this is an historical event—the north and south working in harmony in the fight against HIV/AIDS in the African American community.”
Ukraine delegation visits Howard Brown
A delegation of social workers and PR professionals working in the AIDS prevention community of Ukraine (pictured above with Michael Cook, Howard Brown President and CEO) visited Howard Brown to share information. They were in Chicago as part of the Open World Program, which is designed to provide delegates with knowledge and management skills to help them promote prevention techniques and awareness of HIV/AIDS.
Senator John Cullerton presents $100,000 grant to Howard Brown
State Senator John Cullerton (pictured above, left) presented $100,000 to Howard Brown's President and CEO Michael Cook. The money will only be used for capital projects, namely to reconfigure Howard Brown’s lobby by centralizing its reception area, thereby increasing patient confidentiality and security.In his remarks, Senator Cullerton said that he supported Howard Brown's request for this money “because of the important work that is done at Howard Brown.”
Howard Brown’s Dr. Garofalo Lead Author
A research study published in this month’s Journal of Adolescent Health is among the first to take a detailed look at the health care and social service challenges facing ethnic minority male-to-female (MTF) transgender youth. The Chicago-based study entitled, “Overlooked, Misunderstood, and At-Risk: Exploring the Lives and HIV Risk of Ethnic Minority Male-to-Female Transgender Youth” was conducted by researchers at Howard Brown , Children’s Memorial Hospital, and DePaul University. Download a pdf of the complete article here. (Used with permission of the Journal of Adolescent Health.)
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