Illinois governor
will boost AIDS spending

Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich is boosting spending to $2.5 million on HIV education and testing efforts targeting at-risk African-Americans in the state, the Chicago Tribune reports. The money will fund a new campaign called Brothers and Sisters United Against HIV/AIDS that will include a series of ads and public service announcements as well as a "Wellness on Wheels" van that will travel the state offering HIV prevention information and rapid HIV antibody tests. A statewide conference for faith-based groups conducting HIV education efforts in black communities also is planned. Blagojevich, who announced the increased funding at the Northeastern Illinois University Center for Inner-City Studies, called the spread of HIV in African-American communities "a threat to life and health and something we need to be talking about all the time all around the community," the Tribune reports. For more information about Brothers and Sisters United Against HIV/AIDS, go to www.basuah.org. (Advocate.com)