Vida/SIDA

Founded in 1972, the Puerto Rican Cultural Center (PRCC) is a non-profit, community-based umbrella institution which serves Chicago’s Latin@ community. The PRCC first responded to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in 1988 by opening an all-volunteer health clinic. Vida Health Clinic provided free alternative therapies to people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. In 1992, the PRCC developed an HIV/AIDS prevention initiative that evolved into what is currently the Vida/SIDA Bartolo Hernandez de Jesus HIV/AIDS Initiative, or Vida/SIDA. Vida/SIDA's mission is to educate, empower and advocate for Chicago's Latino community, and to combat homophobia within that community.

Vida/SIDA has worked to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic within the context of community and cultural preservation in the City of Chicago. Through educational seminars, testing, public outreach and prevention interventions Vida/SIDA has provided culturally appropriate services to the Midwest’s largest Latino community for over 20 years. Vida/SIDA is primarily invested in GLBTQ issues, HIV prevention, HIV/STD testing and counseling, and outreach services to high-risk individuals.