Illinois HIV Care Connect (www.hivcareconnect.com) announced an effort to create higher awareness of its services by communicating program benefits and other HIV-related information via social media and a Spanish-language Web site (http://www.hivcareconnect.com/index-es.html).

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’s English Web site (www.hivcareconnect.com) and associated outreach services were launched in 2009. To help the Illinois Spanish-speaking population prevent and find treatment for HIV, a Spanish version of the Web site ((http://www.hivcareconnect.com/index-es.html) was created earlier this year. Hispanics account for about 20 percent of new HIV infections in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).