The DeKalb County Board of Health (DCBOH) has announced the expansion of HIV/AIDS clinic services to make it more convenient for people with limited transportation to receive HIV treatment.

"Consistent, timely health care is essential for persons living with HIV," says Robert DiVito, director of HIV Services for the County-Wide Services Division of the DeKalb County Board of Health. The expanded clinic services will allow people with HIV to receive treatment at a health center in or near their neighborhood, rather than having to travel to the main clinic located in Decatur.

The expanded services will be offered at three different health centers, each one on a different day of the week. The centers hosting the HIV/AIDS clinic are: North DeKalb (Mondays), East DeKalb (Tuesdays) and Kirkwood (Thursdays). Services will be provided by HIV professionals who normally provide treatment at DeKalb's Ryan White Early Care Clinic, which will remain open as a full-time, full-service HIV/AIDS clinic Mon-Fri. Each team will include a nurse practitioner, mental health counselor and patient advocate. A physician at the Ryan White Clinic will oversee the team's efforts.

"We really do want to offer our clients a variety of options," adds DiVito. "This initiative is an effort to enhance our commitment to providing much needed and often critical health services to those who might otherwise be unable to gain access to our clinic."

In operation for more than 11 years, the DCBOH's Ryan White Early Care Clinic offers a comprehensive array of services, including: primary medical services, HIV testing, case management, counseling, dental care, housing, transportation and community outreach. DeKalb County's HIV staff includes physicians, a psychiatrist, dentist, nurses, social workers, mental health counselors, community outreach workers and other professionals.

"Community outreach will also be a key part of the expanded clinic's mission," says DiVito. "We really want people to get involved in learning about HIV, particularly as it relates to their own health status. We want more people to be tested and take proper treatment steps when appropriate. And we also want people to share information about HIV with friends, family, neighbors and others. Fighting HIV is definitely a community-wide effort."

Outreach workers and other staff will work closely with community members near each health center, providing educational materials, access to HIV services, one-on-one counseling and HIV spokespersons available to address community groups.

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