FAQ

Center on Halsted, formerly Horizons Community Services, has operated the IL AIDS/HIV & STD Hotline for over three decades.

There are no time limits on calls or texts so Health Educators can provide in-depth support, information, and referrals as needed by each contact to the Hotline.

The hotline is not operational overnight or on Sundays, so you may sometimes reach our voicemail message in English and Spanish outside of hours of operation.

Hotline calls are answered by trained Health Educators. Our health educators are knowledgeable about AIDS/HIV & STD and related topics but are not licensed medical providers.

The hotline is anonymous, neither health educators nor callers are required to provide any identifying information about themselves at any time.

When contacting the Hotine, you will be asked to provide demographic information for statistical purposes. None of the information collected can be used to indicate who the client is or any identifying information.

The hotline is a state government funded program through the Illinois Department of Public Health.

The hotline offers confidential texting services. By texting our line, you consent to the texting policy and terms of service below.

I hereby consent to, authorize, and understand the phone number used to text the Hotline texting service will appear on the device receiving my text(s) and will appear on a statement of charges / billing information for the Hotline’s carrier. Please know the hotline’s text number may also appear on the users’ statement of charges / billing information. I understand that use of the Hotline texting service serves as my written consent to this policy and the disclosures stated above. Further, I understand this consent is required to proceed with Hotline texting services. I further understand that I may elect to call the Hotline’s anonymous voice line at (800) 243-2437 at any time. Software as a Service and Application Service Providers (3rd party) The Hotline will annually review any third-party privacy policies affecting Hotline services. The Hotline is not responsible for changes or updates made in the interim. If you have any questions about the Hotline Texting Policy and practices, please email get2zero@centeronhalsted.org. You may also mail inquiries to the State of Illinois AIDS/HIV & STD Hotline at: The State of Illinois AIDS/HIV & STD Hotline 3656 N. Halsted St., Chicago, IL 60613.

We reserve the right to change, modify, or add to our privacy policy to protect the ethical standards provided or to meet the changing demands of texting services. Please review the policy before each session.