Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2007. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Bay Area Reporter - October 25, 2007
Raymond J. Aguilera
Organizer said that more than 35 people attended the meeting, held at a local restaurant.
The event was hosted by Stefan J. Christenberry, RN, who is contracted through Maxim Healthcare to assist local clients enrolled in the Nurse Connections program. According to Christenberry, the purpose of the event was two-fold. First, to inform people about Fuzeon and the Nurse Connections program. Secondly, the meeting was intended to address the issue of at-risk individuals who are still not getting tested for HIV. Christenberry called the event "a smashing success. We had a full house."
Nurse Connections is a free nationwide program designed to help patients new to the Fuzeon regimen to learn to administer the drug. Fuzeon is a twice-daily injectable that patients reconstitute in water. Christenberry noted that injection-site reactions are fairly common in people using Fuzeon, and one of his roles is to help minimize those reactions, and to "teach clients and caregivers to be comfortable with the injections."
The one-on-one contact with a health care provider plays a key role in the success of Fuzeon, which is intended for people who have become resistant to other HIV medications.
"It's a great program. I just wish they would have had things like this 25 years ago," said Oakland resident Bob Pittman, who was diagnosed with AIDS in 1985. "I feel like a kid of 17. My partner told me, 'You're the man I married again.'"
Other program participants have had similar experiences. Ray Perez of Martinez has been using Fuzeon and the Nurse Connections program since April. "At first, I was having some reactions, but [Christenberry] came over and showed me the areas I should focus on, and how to do the injections properly. It's been working amazingly well û just incredible."
Christenberry stresses the individual nature of the program. "It's all based on the patient's needs, how they learn, what their living situation is." The home-based consultations also offer the advantage of being readily accessible to partners, family members, and other caregivers who may assist in administering the drug. Nationwide, there are currently 5,000 people receiving individualized care through the Nurse Connections program.
Individuals can access the program through a referral from their primary physician, who then works with program staff to coordinate care. Another informational event is being planned for November in San Francisco.
Program information and support is available via the web at http://www.fuzeon.com.
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