Hurricane Displaces About 8,000 HIV/AIDS Patients Gulf South Centers Flooded; Texas Clinics Help With Treatment
Posted on: Tuesday, 13 September 2005, 18:00 CDT
About 8,000 people with HIV and AIDS displaced by Hurricane Katrina face the massive challenge of trying to manage their disease without their doctors, their clinics and their support systems.
"I'm very frustrated right now," said Noel Twilbeck, executive director of the NO/AIDS Task Force, the oldest HIV/AIDS service organization in the Gulf South. "We absolutely have to get people their medication. This is a frightening situation."
When Michael-Chase Creasy, 49, fled New Orleans, he brought his HIV medicines - but not a lifetime supply. And when he saw television footage from the safety of a Houston hotel room of flood waters rising above his own 1820s Canal Street home, he knew he would not be returning soon and was in serious trouble.
He needed to ensure that his prescriptions would not be interrupted: "These medicines are what keep me healthy and ultimately alive. If I go too long without it I can really atrophy or descend rapidly."
HIV-infected people typically take a "cocktail" of medications that can include more than 20 pills a day. When patients go off their medication, the virus can multiply and they develop resistance to the drugs. Studies have repeatedly shown that patients have a better chance of keeping their HIV under control by not missing doses.
The NO/AIDS Task Force has found a temporary home at the Montrose Clinic in Houston, a medical center that specializes in the needs of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. Montrose's executive director, Katy Caldwell, said evacuees have been arriving by the dozens.
Creasy was one who found help there. Doctors swiped the saliva on his gum to confirm he is HIV positive and then loaded him up with prescriptions and free samples. His problem is solved, for now. But his health insurance is set to run out Thursday when the trade exchange where he worked as a media broker goes out of business.
Caldwell said lack of funds will not affect anyone's access to care.
"We treat them first, worry about the money later," she said.
"Thank God for Katy," said Twilbeck, sitting by her side and recalling his own dash out of New Orleans as the hurricane approached with 25 family members, eight dogs and a lizard.
The AIDS Alliance for Children, Youth and Families estimates at least 8,000 HIV-infected people are trying to get care. The organization is working to get money and supplies to providers, who are struggling to find their patients.
Federal officials say they're doing their best to streamline care to HIV-infected patients, and several drug companies are offering free medication. Meanwhile, providers in Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia and beyond report that displaced patients are showing up at their clinics and asking for new prescriptions, quickly.
On a billboard in the Houston Astrodome, posters - as well as onsite medical providers - are advising HIV-infected people to go to the Thomas Street Health Center for a quick AIDS test, a physical examination and a month's supply of their medication.
The U.S. Health Resources and Services Agency, the federal agency that provides health care for people infected with HIV, completely lost its service centers in Biloxi and New Orleans. The centers in Hattiesburg and Mobile are flooded and lack power.
Social stigmas may also limit some access to care.
"People are not going to walk up to the American Red Cross and say, 'Hi, I have HIV.' More likely they're going to try to find an HIV provider," said Diana Bruce, a spokeswoman for the Washington, D.C.-based AIDS Alliance for Children, Youth & Families.
Those evacuees who do seek medical assistance from providers at emergency centers may end up with doctors who have no experience caring for people with HIV.
Dr. Nicholaos Bellos, president of the Dallas-based Southwester Infectious Disease Associates, helped launch an online triage program for Hurricane Katrina survivors. The program advises doctors working in emergency clinics how to care and medicate patients with HIV. Their Web site also provides patients with information about where to find specialized care, including maps.
ON THE INTERNET:
http://www.hrsa.gov/katrina/http://www.noaidstaskforce.com/
Source: Advocate; Baton Rouge, La.
Related Articles
- Catholic Hospice Selects OnePoint Patient Care As Its Exclusive Provider of Hospice Pharmacy Services
- The Nurse Leadership Board of the International Myeloma Foundation Presents 'Guidelines For Enhanced Patient Care' at International Medical Meeting
- When Minority Patients Have Insurance and a Medical Home, Their Health Care Improves, Says New Survey
- Hospitals Transform Care Delivery and Work Processes With Patient Care Visibility System From Awarix
- Among the Best Patient Care in Northern California Provided By Medical Groups With Sutter Health
- Kryptiq Presents Secure Messaging Successes to AHIC Chronic Care Workgroup; Connectivity Solutions Shown to Improve Patient Care and Reduce Medical Costs
- Patient Care Technology Systems Demonstrates Automatic Patient & Asset Tracking at AORN Congress
- Patient Care Technology Systems Announces Integration of Parco Wireless' Advanced RFID Tracking Technologies
- Patient Care Technology Systems Announces New Release of Emergency Department Information System
- Cosmetic Treatment for HIV Patients Branches Out
 |
 |
User Comments (0)
RSS Feeds