 |
The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
|
The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Diana Ramirez, MD, Ella Leers, MD, Peter A. Selwyn, MD, MPH, Walter Rojas, MD, and Deborah Kapell, MPH. Department of Family Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 3544 Jerome Ave, Bronx, NY 10467
Background: Over 90% of the world’s HIV-infected people live in developing countries, with little or no access to HIV treatment. There is a non-profit organization that supports the clinical care of clients living in developing countries. The organization collects unused antiretroviral medications donated by patients and clinicians in the US, Europe and Canada, and sends the medications to physicians caring for these clients. All clients are followed using clinical and laboratory parameters. We assessed the feasibility and impact of this volunteer program from its inception in 1996 through 2002. Methods: Database query of client base and analysis of demographics, length of participation in program, change in CD4 counts, change in viral loads (when available), selected clinical outcomes Results: A total of 374 clients have received care from the organization. (25% female; 75% male) 167 clients are active, 199 clients are inactive due to death (n=27), loss of communication (n=43), receiving government assistance (n=115), other (n=14). 8 cases are on hold (because of side effects of medications). 86% are from Central or South America and 14% are from the Caribbean, Africa or Asia. Median CD4 at enrollment was 174.5/mm3 (n=346). The clients were followed for a median of 16 months (range 0 to 62 months). The median increase in CD4 count was 102.5, with 40 patients increasing CD4 counts from below 100 to above 200 cells/mm3 (n=232). Conclusion: Using virtually no funds, collection and redistribution of HIV/AIDS medications from developed nations to resource-poor countries is feasible and results in improved clinical outcomes for patients who otherwise have no access to lifesaving HIV-specific therapy.
Learning Objectives:
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.