The AVI Health Centre is excited to announce an expansion in services.HIV Primary Care Clinic every Tuesday morning from 10 - 12.
We provide HIV Primary Care for people living with HIV who may not have access to a family doctor providing HIV Primary Care, are in need of a HIV consultation, ongoing HIV care, access to HIV treatment, referral, etc. in a low barrier, accessible, friendly setting.
Dr. Mary Winder is leading our HIV team which includes an RN, Social Worker/Counsellor, MOA and manager.
We work closely with the BC Centre for Excellence HIV/AIDS Program and Dr. David Forrest VIHA, and we are all hopeful that our clinic will reduce the barriers, including travel, that patients may have accessing HIV Primary Care in the Central Island. This is a free service to anyone living with HIV.
Leading International HIV/AIDS expert, Dr. Julio Montaner, will be in Nanaimo talking about an important new approach to HIV, “Treatment as Prevention,” on January 24, 2011, from 12-2pm in Nanaimo.
While an outright cure, or preventive vaccine for HIV/AIDS, remains elusive, remarkable advances in HIV treatment have been achieved over the past two decades here in B.C. Most significant is the development of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART).
Yet, HAART uptake today is suboptimal, even in Canada where access to the drugs and necessary medical services is free. This is particularly apparent among hard to reach individuals who have additional challenges related to drug dependency, mental illness, limited education and unstable housing. Particularly affected are aboriginal individuals who have greater risk of HIV infection and greater AIDS mortality than non-aboriginals in Canada.
