Pediatric and adolescent HIV program

Dr. Ellen Chadwick, who co-founded the HIV program at Children’s Memorial, is also advancing global HIV prevention and care by training health care providers in Africa. Read more.

Established in 1987, our HIV/AIDS Program cares for more children and adolescents than any other pediatric HIV service provider in the region.

Being a part of a free-standing pediatric hospital with many other specialty services at one location enables the program to provide a comprehensive approach to caring for HIV-impacted families. Working closely with other pediatric specialists, we work with other Children's Memorial specialty care services including Allergy, Neurology, Dermatology, Cardiology, Endocrinology, Dentistry, and more.

Special activities

Our health care team also coordinates various special activities for patients and families throughout the year, including:

• "Caregiver Education Sessions" for parents and caregivers on topics of interest.
• "Family Fun Days," which include an annual holiday party, picnics and holiday parties for our families to socialize with each other and staff outside of the clinic setting.
• Special events for teens that include outings to professional baseball, football or soccer games.
• The “Big Sibs” mentorship program, which matches our patients and medical students.
• A quarterly newsletter to share information with parents and caregivers of children in the program.

More about us

• Read about the beginning of the HIV/AIDS program...
• The foundation of the health care services we provide is a one-stop shopping approach that serves the whole family affected by HIV/AIDS. We also provide access to cutting-edge research. Learn more about our clinical care and research...
• Committed to stopping HIV transmission from mother to child and among adolescents, our HIV prevention education program works within the community to reach and educate those youth most at-risk of HIV infection. More about HIV prevention education here...
• Community Advisory Board (CAB): Parents/care givers and others from the community meet regularly to learn about clinic operations and research, and to share their ideas and opinions. More about the CAB here...
• Chicago and surrounding county contacts for HIV/AIDS organizations. Good numbers to call here...
• Vital information for ALL women of child-bearing age regarding HIV and not transmitting HIV from mother to child. More information if your pregnant...
• Funded almost completely by grants and donations, the HIV/AIDS program at Children's Memorial can use your help. More here on donating to the program...

For more information

For more general information about HIV/AIDS services, programs and research, please call 773.880.4757.

See also

• Diagnostic services
• HIV/AIDS
• HIV/AIDS treatment options

Related stories

• Infectious Diseases: Constant change with global implications
• Research provides hope for children with HIV
• Saving children’s lives through advocacy

Related glossary terms

• human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)