AEGiS-Miami Herald: Healthy baby for woman with HIV

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Healthy baby for woman with HIV

Miami Herald - August 21, 2005

It was a moment of joy at Community Health of South Dade Inc., when a South Miami-Dade woman with HIV gave birth to a healthy, uninfected baby. She began coming in for medications during her first trimester, and the course of treatment successfully protected her baby from the disease. The woman continues to come to CHI for treatment for herself and for medical attention for her newborn.

The success belongs to the Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Services program, which reaches out to people with AIDS and HIV.

"This is a hard group to identify and often difficult to convince to come for care," said Brodes H. Hartley, Jr., president and CEO of CHI.

CHI cares for about 1,000 patients a year, he said.

Leevon Connor, who runs the CARES department, said that CHI uses health fairs and communication with churches and community organizations to get out the word about the program.

"But most often it's word-of-mouth that's most effective," he said.

CHI offers case-management services, basic healthcare, psychological counseling, dental care, medications and transportation. The effort is underwritten by a number of organizations and programs, including the Ryan White Program.

CHI is a member of the Miami-Dade HIV/AIDS Partnership, the planning body for several public programs providing medical and social services to this group.

To contact the CARES program, call Leevon Connor at 305-252-4838. CHI is a healthcare organization for about 45,000 patients in South Miami-Dade at six centers and five school-based programs. It provides health services on a sliding scale based on family size and income.

News From CHI is a Herald feature written by CHI. Contact Michael Kesti at 305-252-4853 or e-mail him at MKesti@HCNetwork.org.

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