CHICAGO (WLS) — An HIV prevention and treatment center is now open on the North Side of Chicago.

Officials cut the ribbon on the center at 5537 N. Broadway in Edgewater Wednesday morning.

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The Vivent Health + TPAN center is said to be one of the largest in the country. It hopes to be a one-stop shop for those with HIV and change public perception.

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The center is working to restore hope by making patients feel right at home.

It wants to treat the whole person. From a food pantry to therapy offices, it’s a reminder that HIV isn’t a death sentence but a call to action.

It’s also educating people about the stigmas surrounding HIV, one resource at a time.

“We’re able to bring medical, pharmacy, food pantry and nearly double, almost triple the size of the space here,” Vivent Health CEO Brandon Hill said.

The center was serving about 400 patients, but, with the new expansion, they are now hoping to serve nearly 1,500, with patients coming from as far as Wisconsin.

“The work done here matters, and it’s going to be mattering no matter what happens,” medical director Dr. Jo-Ann Jose said.

The center’s expansion comes as the Trump administration is proposing nearly $800 million in federal cuts to programs supporting HIV treatment, prevention and care: a motivating factor for those like Rick Guasco.

“I want to get right to the source of this information that’s going to save my life. And then I saw that it was going to save the lives of others, and I wanted to be a part of that,” said Rick Guasco, Positively Aware magazine editor-in-chief.

The magazine dates back to the 90s. He remembers the few resources he had when he was diagnosed with HIV.

“When I was handed those publications, I was simply told, ‘good luck,'” Guasco said.

He said, at the time, there was a stigma about being on the cover. That was until John Giles, a man with AIDS, put his story front and center in 1996. Giles died three months after his issue was published.

“When I look at this, I think you know, why him? Why not me? And I don’t have an answer for that, but one of the ways that I stay alive is by staying informed,” Guasco said.

That information is why Guasco has turned the magazine into a safe space, with images of people who want to educate others, are not ashamed of sharing their status and are proud to be who they are.

“Somebody diagnosed today with HIV, if they’re on medication, if they’re on treatment, they can expect to have just as long a lifespan as anybody else,” Guasco said.

There’s an open house from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Vivent Health + TPAN center.

Northwestern Medicine is a partner.

Vivent Health + TPAN is the second-largest provider of HIV prevention and treatment services in the nation, the company said.

In Chicago, 85% of Vivent health patients have no insurance or rely on Medicaid or Medicare, and 43% live at or below the federal poverty line, the company said.