Howard Brown Health and Open Door Health Center of Illinois Announce New Collaboration
The agreement will enhance service delivery in Chicago and nearby suburbs
(Cook County, IL, December 2, 2020) – Howard Brown Health, one of Chicago’s leading providers of HIV-related medical care and Open Door Health Center of Illinois, a suburban counterpart with clinics in Elgin, Aurora, and Joliet, have agreed to collaborate for the mutual benefit of their respective patients. The Board of Directors of Howard Brown and the Board of Open Door Center in Elgin unanimously endorsed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) detailing the clinical, programmatic, operational, and planning protocols they will share to enhance services in all the communities reached by both entities.
The entities entered into the agreement on the eve of World AIDS Day, December 1, to support greater access to HIV-related services across metropolitan Chicago. Both groups anticipate the collaboration will help Illinois achieve Getting to Zero goals, the state’s plan to effectively eliminate new HIV cases by 2030.
“Howard Brown is thrilled to collaborate with Open Door, a beacon in nearby suburban LGBTQ communities,” said David Ernesto Munar, President and CEO of Howard Brown Health. “Public health in Chicago is heavily impacted by our relationships to the surrounding areas, and this collaboration can only improve health outcomes in the region.”
“We’re excited to share our expertise in public health through this innovative collaboration,” said LaJuan Baines, Interim Executive Director of Open Door Health Center of Illinois. “Our institutions’ collaboration in best practices and protocols for healthcare delivery to specialized populations will improve the wellbeing of countless potential patients in Illinois.”
The two entities have already exchanged, for example, clinical and workflow protocols on topics related to COVID-19 screening, flu vaccinations, and HIV treatment during a pandemic. Where one group has defined expertise in a particular subject matter, it has lent technical assistance to the other organization’s respective staff members upon request. The collaboration will also allow both organizations to pursue new goals such as Open Door’s interest in providing more primary care services and Howard Brown’s desire to ensure more people in the Chicago’s metro area benefit from HIV-related services. The decision to enter into the agreement was facilitated by McAlpine Consulting for Growth, LLC.
A federally qualified health center, Howard Brown serves the LGBTQ community with wraparound services including primary care, behavioral health, social services, and a program for youth. Founded in 1974, Howard Brown specializes in the spectrum of HIV care, from initial diagnoses to care for long-term patients living with HIV and research for innovative HIV therapies.
A longstanding recipient of federal Ryan White CARE Act HIV funding, Open Door is a regional, patient-centered health care organization that provides education, prevention, diagnosis and treatment services for sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS, and services the greater LGBTQ community. Since 1975, Open Door has provided medical care and sexual health along with supportive behavioral health and case management to underserved populations. Open Door continues to offer medical, behavioral health, case management, peer-led early intervention, prevention, and outreach services to those who are living with HIV or at risk of HIV/AIDS.
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Media Inquiries:
Erik Roldan, Director of Communications and Marketing
mediainquiries@howardbrown.org
Deb Vazquez, Debv@opendoorclinic.org
Howard Brown Health exists to eliminate the disparities in healthcare experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people through research, education and the provision of services that promote health and wellness. Howard Brown is the largest LGBTQ organization in the Midwest, providing primary and specialty healthcare, social services, and infectious disease screenings to more than 35,000 people each year. The 11 clinics span the City of Chicago, from Englewood to Rogers Park. For more information, visit howardbrown.org.
Open Door is a regional, patient-centered health care organization that provides services including education, prevention, diagnosis and treatment services to those who have or are at risk for Sexually Transmitted Infections, including HIV/AIDS, in addition to the greater LGBTQ community. For more information, visit odhcil.org.