The Wellness Program/HIV and AIDS

The MWHC Wellness Program team will help guide you through strategies to reduce the risk of contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. The team is open minded and will allow you to ask any question you have regarding sexual practices.

If you would like to start Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis call the office at 540.374.3279. Our team will connect you with a caring physician to manage your health care and medications. The program has options to help with the cost of medical visits, labs and medications.

Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) is a medication you can take to reduce the risk of contraction after a possible exposure. Call as soon as possible to talk with our team. The medication must be started within 72 hours of an unprotected sexual experience. Let us help you with your concern. 540.374.3279.

If you are not sure about your HIV and other medications, we can help you sort out what is current and needed. We can also help you optimize timing and administration of the medications for the best absorption. Our goal is to help all clients reach an undetectable level.

U=U means Undetectable=Untransmittable.

We also have a way to help you dispose of the old and unwanted medications. Give us a call at 540.374.3279.

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The Virginia AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) provides access to life-saving medications for the treatment of HIV and related illnesses for low-income clients through the provision of medications or through assistance with insurance premiums and medication co-payments.

The program is primarily supported with federal Ryan White (RW) Treatment Extension Act Part B grant funding, which is distributed by a formula based on living HIV and AIDS cases to all states and territories in the United States.

Are you getting enough sleep?

Considering the challenges of the past year, the answer is likely a resounding “NO!” Sleep is such an important part of our lives, that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) began to study the self-reported sleep patterns of American adults a few years ago. The CDC found that:

• One third of American adults report getting less than the recommended seven hours of sleep per night

The National Sleep Foundation (NSF), also found that most Americans report feeling sleepy during daylight hours, an average of three times per week. According the NSF:

• 55% of American adults report they do not sleep well at night, while 44% report not getting enough sleep

We all know that a good night’s sleep makes us feel better, and most of us have experienced changes in mood, irritability, or confusion, when we are unable to sleep. Sleep disturbances, and sleep disorders also impact our overall health, however, and are linked to:

• Heart Disease
• High Blood Pressure
• Obesity
• Depression
• Headaches, and Migraines

Sleep & HIV

While sleep is important for anyone, the American Psychological Association (APA) emphasizes that sleep is a particularly important factor among Americans living with HIV. The APA found:

• 30-40% of HIV-positive adults report some difficulty with sleep, ranging from occasional difficulties falling asleep, to interrupted sleep patterns, to waking up after only a few hours of sleep, to insomnia

Potential Causes of Sleep Disturbances Among Persons Living With HIV

• Chronic insomnia shortly after HIV-infection
• Side effects of Antiretroviral Therapy
• Side effects of HIV-infection
• Stressful life events and challenges

Get a “Good Night’s Sleep”

Easier said than done, most of us would say, but the CDC and sleep experts recommend the following for a better night’s sleep:

• Establish a routine, and go to bed around the same time every night
• Check your environment: Is it dark enough or too dark for you? Is the room temperature comfortable? Is it quiet, or too quiet for you? Find what works for you.
• Do not take your phone to bed or silence your phone if you feel comfortable doing so. Unless it is an emergency-it can wait until you have your first cup of coffee in the morning
• Avoid caffeine, alcohol, or large meals right before you go to bed
• Give yourself some “down time”-turn the TV off, listen to relaxing music, listen to relaxing sounds
• Avoid naps during the day
• Take a warm bubble bath before sleep
• Don’t use your bedroom as an office
• Make a list of things of things to worry you, and things to remember, before you go to bed and remind yourself that you will “tackle” that list in the morning
• And most importantly: Talk to your doctor if difficulties with sleep persist or begin to impact your physical and mental health!

Medical case managers are available to assist with sleep strategies and connect you with a specialist if needed. Call our office at (540) 374-3279 to speak to our medical case managers.

For Further Information Go To:

APA, Sleep and HIV: file:///C:/Users/130664/Downloads/FactSheet-Insomnia-2012.pdf

CDC, Sleep: https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2016/p0215-enough-sleep.html

Cleveland Clinic, Health Essentials-Sleep: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/happens-body-dont-get-enough-sleep/

NIH, Sleep Disturbances in Persons Living with HIV: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3543776/

Resources:

• HIV Answers www.hivanswers.com/
• Help Stop the Virus www.helpstopthevirus.com/
• Greater Than www.greaterthan.org/virginia/
• Let’s Stop HIV Together www.cdc.gov/together
• A Guide to Talking About HIV (CDC fact sheet)
• Safer-Sex Chat Cheat Sheet
• Let's Stop HIV Together (CDC resource library)

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If you are in need of an educator or speaker for your group meeting, please use this form to request a speaker.

Unlike Medicare or Medicaid, Ryan White Grant programs are the “payer of last resort,” which fund treatment for HIV/AIDS positive patients when no other resources are available. The Ryan White program serves over half-a-million people each year across the nation. In 2016, 551,567 clients received services from close-to 3,000 funded grant recipients and subrecipients.

The US Congress created the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act. Named in honor of Ryan White, an Indiana teenager who contracted AIDS through a tainted hemophilia treatment in 1984, the Act sought funding to improve availability of care for low income, uninsured and under-insured victims of AIDS and their families. Ryan was expelled from school because of the disease and became a well-known advocate for AIDS research and awareness, until his death on April 8, 1990.

Ryan White Eligibility 6-Month Renewal paperwork