HIV/AIDS
Coping with HIV/AIDS
Both the nature of HIV/AIDS and the potent treatments prescribed to manage the medical complications are complex. The pharmacists at Fleetwood are uniquely trained to safely supervise the drug regimens developed to fight the disease while preventing harmful side effects and insuring proper administration. With more than twenty medications on the market today created to treat the HIV virus-and many more in various stages of research and development — your Fleetwood Specialty Pharmacy is an invaluable resource for your health care needs.
Fleetwood Specialty Pharmacy specializes in HIV and AIDS medicine administration.
Fleetwood’s pharmacists are specifically trained to:
- Assess your health history and help prevent harmful drug interactions
- Assist with dosing, compliance, and adherence of a specified regimen
- Provide counseling to better manage physical side effects
- Interpret directions for dispensing, storing, and refilling your prescriptions
Though not intended to replace medical advice from a qualified physician, the Resources links provide additional information and support on living with HIV/AIDS.
HIV: A Continuing Fight
In the 1980s, HIV terrified the nation. It was a new disease with unknown transmission methods. If a person contracted the virus, the diagnosis was tantamount to a death sentence. But slowly, progress was made. Researchers learned that the disease was transmitted primarily through bodily fluids during sexual intercourse, blood transfusions with contaminated blood, or intravenous drug users sharing needles. New drugs were developed that allowed patients to live with HIV. But while the progress is encouraging, HIV/AIDS remains a very real problem in Louisiana. See the full article and comments here
AAHIVM HIV Specialist ™
American Academy of HIV Medicine (AAHIVM) and the development of the Academy’s HIV Specialist Credentialing Program establishes a standard by which all HIV care providers should deliver quality HIV care. The AAHIVM HIV Specialist ™ credential remains the only one of its kind nationwide and has three objectives:
- To improve the quality of HIV care,
- To broaden patient access to quality care, and
- To expand the number of HIV-specialized medical care providers.
Being an Academy-credentialed HIV Specialist ™ is a way to remain current, demonstrate front line experience, and evolve with changes in HIV technology, with discoveries of new treatments and with shifts in the nation’s health care system. The AAHIVM HIV Specialist ™ credential demonstrates to patients, colleagues, employers and third party payers a care provider’s commitment to maintaining continuing competency through ongoing learning, experience and self-assessment.
At Fleetwood, we have experienced and specially trained pharmacy teams, dedicated to the holistic care to patients with chronic health conditions. More than half of our pharmacists are certified as an AAHIVM HIV Specialist ™ so the treatment of HIV patients can be directed by an expert in HIV Care at Fleetwood Specialty Pharmacy.