Me & Nic Broke Up: Inked Intentions

CDPH is continuing its collaboration with the Chicago Park District, bringing anti-vaping live activations to teens this spring.

Following last year's successful pop-ups, this year's event brings the “Me & Nic Broke Up” campaign to life within the Chicago Park District Teen Opportunity Fair with the Inked Intentions activation—an engaging experience designed to empower teens to quit vaping or using nicotine (Nic).

Event Dates & Locations:

• March 8, 2025 - Malcolm X College (27th Ward)
• March 15, 2025 - Warren Park (40th Ward)

Through interactivity, educational resources, and personal pledge-making, Inked Intentions encourages attendees to commit to a vape-free lifestyle. Teens can engage with inspiring content, create personalized reminders for their quitting journey, and explore scholarship opportunities by signing the campaign pledge. For more information on Me & Nic Broke Up and the Chicago Park District's Teen Opportunity Fair, visit the City of Chicago's web pages.

Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

Monday, March 10 is the 20th anniversary of National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. The day, along with the remainder of the month, spotlights the impact HIV and AIDS has on women and girls, while lifting up ongoing efforts to improve HIV prevention, treatment, and care services for women and girls.

The day also helps dispel any thought that women and girls do not get HIV and AIDS. In fact, in 2022, about 1 in 5 new HIV diagnoses and 25 percent of new AIDS diagnoses in Chicago were among women, while 17 percent of Chicagoans living with HIV are women. Women often don't receive HIV and prevention-related information from health care providers that's in line with their risk. Poverty, stigma, medical mistrust, and fear of discrimination often prevent some women from getting tested or from seeking care. Black women are disproportionately affected, accounting for 54 percent of new HIV infections in U.S. women.

CDPH's PrEP Now Chicago website was produced to speak directly to Black women and provide a space where Black women could learn about PrEP, a powerful HIV prevention tool, and to empower every woman with the knowledge and resources to protect herself. At PrEP Now Chicago, women can learn more about PrEP, its benefits, and taking those next steps, all in a supportive space.

Daylight Saving Time Begins Sunday

Don't forget! Daylight Saving Time (DST) begins on Sunday, March 9. This means longer days, more sunshine, and more chances to enjoy outdoor activities. The extra sunlight and Vitamin D can be a welcome change from the winter chill and a sign of warmer weather on the way.

Here are some tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help you adjust:

• Gradually go to bed 15-20 minutes earlier each night before the time change to help your body adjust.
• Get some early morning sunlight on Sunday to help reset your "body clock" and improve sleep and alertness.
• Stick to your regular bedtime on Sunday night to get enough rest before the workweek starts.
• Once adjusted to DST, try maintaining a consistent sleep schedule for better sleep and overall health.

Good sleep is key to your health and well-being! For more tips on healthy sleep habits, visit the CDC's website.

CDPH Celebrates Women's History Month

This Women's History Month we celebrate Ajanta Patel, MD, MPH, Medical Director with CDPH for her leadership in chronic disease prevention and health equity. She oversees outreach programs, policy initiatives, and partnerships that address health disparities across Chicago. Dr. Patel has expanded CDPH's Tobacco Program and launched the Community Health Worker initiative to increase health care literacy and access. Find Dr. Patel online and on Chicago's WGN-TV where she shares insights on chronic disease and tips on how to access care. Listen and watch Dr. Patel on CDPH's Healthy Chicago podcast and on social media by following @ChiPublicHealth on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Bluesky, YouTube, Threads, Linked In, Nextdoor, and X.

Healthy Chicago Podcast

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Latina women face a higher risk of developing cervical cancer compared to women from other racial groups. Linguistic, cultural, and educational barriers are some of the challenges they encounter in obtaining early detection of the disease.

In the latest episode of our Spanish-language podcast, Dr. Olga García-Bedoya, an associate professor of internal medicine at the University of Illinois, explains why this cancer disproportionately affects Latina women, the importance of early detection, and how the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine can play a crucial role in preventing cervical cancer.

Listen or watch the newest episodes on YouTube, Spotify, Apple and the CDPH website.

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