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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (July 1, 1992)
to ' t U l ìì «I j [ ,r lu i h u i 18 ▼ Ju ly 1802 ▼ ju » t o u t An HIV/AIPS update by David Lane, Ph. D. BE HERE FOR THE CURE. his is the latest in San Francisco AIDS Foundation’s ad campaigns-a slogan also being used locally by Cascade AIDS Project (CAP). O f course, the first question for any AIDS update is what about a cure? Unfortunately, the news for a cure continues to be uncertain. Reports about the success of a vaccine against HIV in chimpanzees arc countered by reports that the virus changes or mutates so quickly that a totally effective vaccine is still a long way off. However, a recent issue o f AIDS Updates reports on recom mendations about the positive effects of clinical trials in humans. Clearly, the assumption in the scientific community focuses on the fact that a vaccine is possible-but a cure may still be years away. Despite the slow progress on development of a cure, nationally-and in Oregon-there are in creased hopes and positive effects of providing HIV-infected people with proactive and preven tive health care. “Be here for the cure” recognizes an important shift in what we know about HIV disease. In addition to the important message o f prevention, it is now more critical than ever-and more life-enhancing-to get early treatment for HIV disease. Looking at client services currently available to people with HIV in Oregon, there are several important changes over the past two years. The introduction o f federal dollars for client services- including money from the Ryan White Care A ct- has allowed more direct care programs to be available. These programs include the deliberate move for public health agencies to provide in creased client services. This money for client services in Oregon has led to the development of the Seropositive Wellness Program, tho funding of the Oregon HIV Advocacy Center, a self-care manual for newly infected people, and a variety of other HIV client services available in seven de fined regions around the state. T ♦ Counseling for both immune system mainte nance and health risk reduction ♦ Stress management and nutrition counseling ♦ Referrals for social support, mental health, and other community services. Because the Wellness Program is new, clients will be asked to answer health-related questions aimed at evaluating this program’s effectiveness. Further information can be obtained by calling your local health department’s HIV program. OREGON HIV ADVOCACY CENTER he Oregon Advocacy Center, under the direction o f Mimi Luther and Doug Zeh, is located at CAP. The Center is designed to help solve problems and to provide information about services needed by HIV positive clients. For example, utilizing the resources and informa tional data base of the Oregon AIDS Hotline, the Advocacy Center is designed to help link HIV- infected individuals with local medical, financial, legal and social resources in their community. Sometimes the Advocacy Center staff will be able to handle the situation with a call to an appropriate T THE OREGON HIV SELF-CARE MANUAL uring its first year of operation, the Oregon HIV Advocacy Center has de veloped an Oregon-specific self-care manual-a resource for newly diagnosed HTV clients. When the manual is available for distribution in early fall, trained volunteers at the Oregon AIDS Hotline will help HIV clients-either in person or through the Hotline-to access and use the information in the manual. The goal is to give HIV-infected clients the important information needed to take better care of themselves. (The manual will also be available on a limited basis to people who were diagnosed earlier.) An important feature of this manual is its dual approach in presenting information. The manual includes not only standard factual information but also personal perspectives from people living with HIV. Local authors from throughout Oregon were recruited to write pieces for the manual. made up of people concerned about the needs of people with HIV. Both of these groups advocated that Ryan White monies should be dispersed on a regional basis. What this meant was the state was divided into seven regions and each region received a proportion o f the funds based on its population and AIDS caseload. Each region convened a consortium which decided how to use its share of Ryan White funds. This means that every person with HIV will be able to access public-assistance funds for health care within their own area o f the state. For instance, the region comprised of Douglas, Curry, and Coos county decided to disperse all of its funds to Ruby H ouse-a mixed- use facility for people living with HIV. Other regions will have limited funds for some medical bills, health-related travel, and dental care. For information, call: ♦ Region 1 ( Clackamas, Clatsop, Columbia, Multnomah, Tillamook, Washington ): Jeanne Gould, Multnomah Health Department, 248-3674. ♦ Region 2 {Baker, Gilliam, Grant, Hood River, Malheur, Morrow, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa, Wasco, Sherman): Sharon Kline, Umatilla Health Department, 276-3211. ♦ Region 3 (Crook, Deschutes, Harney, Jefferson, Klamath, Lake, Wheeler): Tom Spencer, Kla math Health Department, 882-8846. ♦ Region 4 ( Jackson, Josephine): Hank Collins, Jackson Health Department, 776-7300. ♦ Region 5 (Coos, Curry, Douglas): Billy Russo, Ruby House, 679-9913. ♦ Region 6 (Benton, Lane, Linn): Jeannette Bobst, Lane Health Department, 687-4013. ♦ Region 7 (Lincoln, Marion, Polk, Yamhill): Donalda Dodson, Marion Health Department, 588-5357. S DRUG ASSISTANCE PROGRAM ince 1987, the Health Division has been assisting people with AIDS by provid ing AZT to them at no cost. The AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) now dispenses DDI and AZT to qualifying individuals. The program is available to individuals not eligible for other public-assistance programs and to those that qualify on the basis of income. As of June 3,703 people have received assistance from this pro gram. You can call Liz Fosterman at the Health Division (731-4029) for help in applying for this program. Clearly, the focus o f all programs described These articles focus on the personal side of living here is on “being here for the cure.” As we think with HIV. about that possibility, it is necessary to focus on The manual will be attractively formatted in what medical interventions are actually available. six booklets, each covering a separate area of On the positive side, the April issue o f AIDS health care. For instance, one booklet, focusing Clinical Care lists over 100 drug combinations on wellness, will be full of information and ideas that are available for treatment o f the opportunis for how to work on a positive approach to health. tic infections. The emphasis in treatment has It will include information about immunizations, shifted from the care of infections once they occur traveling, stress, grief, and exercise. Another to aggressive early antiviral and prophylactic booklet will list statewide resources. Most impor therapies. More and more physicians are pre tantly, the resource booklet will include specific scribing combinations o f medications-many with regionalized resources aimed at giving people uncertain interactions-in order to ward off poten names and numbers of agencies in their own tial deadly infections caused by the collapse of the community that are available for information and immune system. According to AIDS Clinical assistance. Care, the most common type o f problem from the increased use of drugs is increased toxicity due to the combined side-effects o f the drugs. People with HIV appear to have higher rates o f toxic reactions to medications than others receiving the regon’s share of Ryan White funds this same medications. Physicians dealing with HIV- year was a little over $650,000. Deci infected clients arc being encouraged to be in sions on how to disperse these funds were made creasingly watchful for drug toxicides and inter using the HIV Care Consortium, local health actions. departments, and Sparkplugs. The HIV Care The medical establishment has been chal Consortium is a statewide group of providers lenged by HIV disease in many ways. From the from medical, mental health, and community- beginning of the epidemic, AIDS activist groups based communities (including people living with | have pressured the Food and Drug Administra HIV). Sparkplugs is a statewide advocacy group tion fFDA) and the medical establishment to be S SEROPOSITIVE WELLNESS PROGRAM he Heal th di v is ion, working w i th county health departments, has established a Seropositive Wellness Program (SWP) for per sons who test positive for HIV. The Wellness Program offers a combination o f medical, coun seling, and social support services. The Wellness Program is currently available at the county health departments in Benton, Hood River, Jackson, Josephine, Klamath, Lane, Linn, Malheur, Marion, Multnomah, Tillamook, and Umatilla counties. Washington county has requested the program. C oos, C rook, C urry, D eschutes, D ouglas, Jefferson, and Union counties arc in the last stages of training for the program. The Wellness Program is based on recent studies that have shown that the best way of coping with HIV is when HIV infected people take charge of their own positive outlook health care. In the Program, clients participate in a comprehensive treatment approach aimed at pro longing wellness, productivity and quality o f life. They learn skills necessary to maintain health and prevent HIV transmission to others. Included in the program: ♦ Free Helper T-Cell and CBC Testing (blood work) every six months ♦ Free screening for hepatitis ♦ Free immunization for influenza, pneumococ cal pneumonia, and hepatitis B ♦ A $60 credit for an initial medical evaluation by a physician ♦ A $30 credit for an initial dental evaluation by a dentist ♦ Free evaluation and treatment of sexually trans mitted dic^aso': and tuberculosis care services, please contact Mimi Luther, Doug Zeh, or Donah Baribeau at 223-2437 or 1-800- 777-2437. T local person or agency. The Center may call an appropriate office at the state, regional, or federal level as well. In other cases, the situation may actually require a one-on-one visit to help educate and/or locate local resources. Eleven years into the epidemic, HIV disease is becoming increasingly accepted within the tradi tional health care system. Along with this accep tance comes the typical bureaucratic hardships and hang-ups which have existed for other dis eases. There are agencies, physicians, hospitals, and case managers who are figuring out how to meet the needs of HIV positive clients within this bureaucracy. As this information becomes known, the Oregon Advocacy Center will maintain up-to- date material about the many programs, resources, and policies that affect HIV clients. Most impor tantly, Advocacy Center personnel are trained to step in and act as a client advocate-somconc who represents the HIV positive person in a positive, supportive role and works to solve the problem for the client. The Center has spent many hours this year helping individuals with specific problems-such as finding housing, locating a dentist, getting out of a legal jam, working with social security. If you-or someone you know-has reached a “frus tration-point" when trying to obtain HIV health REGIONALIZED HEALTH CARE O
