Business Wire - March 22, 2000
The result is a higher number of people living with HIV or AIDS enrolled in treatment and drug subsidy programs.
Dr. Chris Spitters says the Early Intervention Program examined the accessibility and service quality of the Department of Health's AIDS Prescription Drug Program to see how it was working. According to Dr. Spitters, the review showed that ethnicity and other demographic factors have virtually no limiting impact on access to the Department of Health's services for HIV/AIDS patients in Washington. The review revealed no statistically significant difference in access to treatment or quality of care on the basis of gender, region, or ethnicity. The exceptions were the mentally ill and clients reported as drug or alcohol users, who were less likely to have all of their prescribed drug regimens meet guidelines.
"We still have a long way to go in preventing the transmission of HIV and in providing simple, effective, easy-to-tolerate treatment for those who are infected," Spitters said. Approximately 2,000 of the approximately 12,000 Washington residents living with HIV receive support from the state Department of Health.
Raleigh Watts, state Health Department HIV Client Services director, will present these and other findings on March 24 at a national press conference in Washington, D.C. The review also revealed some good news for people in treatment for HIV/AIDS, who are faring much better than HIV/AIDS patients just a few years ago. Clinically, the average viral load -- which is one measure of how AIDS impacts the health of persons living with the virus -- in these clients dropped nearly tenfold between 1996 and 1998. Immune response has also greatly improved during that time. Still, none of the treatments result in cure, and improved clinical measurements don't necessarily make HIV/AIDS patients feel healthier.
NOTE: Spitters and Watts are available to discuss these findings and the status of the HIV/AIDS Prescription Drug Program. A member of the client-caucus served by this program is also available for interview, upon request.
CONTACT: Washington State Department of Health Infectious Disease and Reproductive Health Dr. Chris Spitters, 360/236-3416 or HIV Client Services Raleigh Watts, 360/236-3477 or Communications Office Donn Moyer, 360/236-4076 http://www.doh.wa.gov
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