Chicago Women's AIDS Project
Chicago Women's AIDS Project

Our Programs

 HIV Support Services Program

CWAP Women Empowerment Group.

Some of our strong and empowered ladies from group.

Support Groups

Peer & professionally led support groups, workshops and trainings for cisgender and transgender women living with HIV. CWAP holds 4 support groups per month at our north and south side office. Built on sisterhood empowerment, these groups provide a safe space for women to engage in open conversation on various topics.

 

 

Project SASS

Project SASS, CWAP’s prevention for positives program, allows us to partner with clinics and agencies across the city and suburbs of Chicago providing treatment education to HIV+ cisgender and transgender women. This program focuses on strengthening coping skills, healthy relationships, and traditional STI/HIV transmission prevention skills. The 5 workshops focus on treatment as prevention and includes skill-building activities such as problem solving, health literacy, provider communication and personal advocacy.

Project SASS.

Amazing group of SASS graduates!

Project SASS Successes:

  • 173 HIV+ women have participated in the program in 16 cycles across the city.
  • Every woman undetectable! Before SASS, 48% of women knew an undetectable viral load reduces the chance of transmission. After SASS, 75% of women knew this information.
  • Confidence in Female Condoms! Before SASS, only 72% of women said they were comfortable using the female condom (FC2). After SASS, 93% of women were comfortable using FC2.

To bring Project SASS to your agency or clinic that services HIV+ women, email samantha.cwap@gmail.com for more information on partnering with us!

For clients interested in participating in future cycles of Project SASS, we encourage you to call the CWAP office at 773-341-1606 to sign up for services!

 

Prevention Program

Returning Sisters

Returning Sisters icon. Returning Sisters works with transgender and cisgender women who have a history of incarceration, homelessness and/or addiction. We provide individual therapy, recovery coaching and HIV testing and counseling services as well as individualized linkage to community resources. Returning Sisters provides a continuum of care to those who are at higher risk for HIV by supporting our women on a holistic level. While Returning Sisters is a 3-6 month program, our goal is to make sure that our clients are connected to recovery and support communities before moving on from our program. This program is currently funded through CDPH, allowing our services to be free of charge, and is run by our trained and certified staff.

Returning Sisters.

Delilah distributing condoms near our South Side office.

 

FREE HIV & HCV Testing!

Call CWAP to make an appointment at (773) 341-1606.

Walk-Ins welcomed every last Friday of the month from 12-2pm!

 

PrEP Outreach

Did you know that there is a pill you can take once a day to prevent you from contracting HIV? This pill is called PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis)!

Contrary to popular belief, many individuals within local communities are unaware about the benefits of PrEP as a method for HIV prevention. In collaboration with the Howard Brown Health Center, CWAP provides peer PrEP outreach to high risk self-identified women to get them connected with using PrEP. CWAP goes out into the south and west side communities of Chicago to present the facts about PrEP, engage women in open and honest conversations, discuss sexual health and ways of securing a negative status, and navigate participants to their initial appointment for PrEP services at Howard Brown. To learn more about CWAP’s PrEP outreach services, please contact us at (773) 341-1606.