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In conjunction with National
HIV/AIDS Testing Day on June 27, the University of North Carolina (UNC) School
of Medicine’s Division of Infectious Diseases and North Carolina’s Division of
Public Health Communicable Disease Branch will launch ONE CALL, a call center
to link newly diagnosed HIV patients with care providers. Specially trained
nurses will staff the toll-free HIV call center, which also will connect
non-specialist healthcare providers to North Carolina HIV care and support
centers.
Dr. Cindy Gay, assistant professor
of medicine at UNC and head of ONE CALL, stated that the healthcare
professional who delivers a positive HIV test result often lacks the training
required to counsel newly diagnosed HIV patients or to provide treatment. ONE
CALL services aim to address patients’ initial concerns and to supply tailored
referrals to HIV care, selected from the only comprehensive, up-to-date
directory of North Carolina HIV specialists. ONE CALL nurses can transfer
callers directly to the clinic of choice for appointments. The service also
serves as a resource for newly diagnosed HIV patients who fear HIV/AIDS stigma
and prefer an alternative to face-to-face encounters as they adjust to living
with the virus.
At present, the South has the
highest HIV incidence of US regions; North Carolina reported 1,563 new HIV
cases in 2011. Approximately 24 percent of HIV-infected North Carolinians are
not receiving treatment, which can prevent HIV transmission and help infected
people achieve a normal life expectancy.
Individuals and providers may reach
ONE CALL at 1–866–883–1836, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
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!
