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Jay MacGillivray, a midwife who
specializes in working with HIV-positive women, and Dr. Mark Yudin, an
obstetrician, have developed the Positive Pregnancy Programme at St. Michael’s
Hospital in Toronto, Canada. The program attends to HIV-positive women’s medical
needs and supports the patients through the pregnancy, by combining maternal
health care with social services, counseling, and companionship. It is now in
its seventh year.
In its early years, the program
served about three to five women per year, but in 2012, it helped 44 women.
According to MacGillivray, none of the mothers who participated has given birth
to a child with HIV. MacGillivray explained that her motivation to start the
clinic came from her experiences as a midwife, where she saw healthcare
professionals treating pregnant women with contempt or fear. She herself had
been warned by another nurse not to touch a patient because the woman was HIV
positive.
MacGillivray and Yudin view the
clinic as an expanded model of care as they work with pregnant women on any
type of problem, including immigration status, trouble in a relationship, or
difficulties finding housing. The clinic operates one day a week and treats women
with HIV as well as those who do not have HIV. Patients see the midwife and
doctor during regular checkups as well as a nurse and social worker.
The program is attracting
international attention, and the team receives requests to speak at conferences
around the world. At present, Trent Newmeyer, a Brock University professor, is
evaluating the program through a series of interviews with its clients to
determine how well the model might work in other locations.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
