PAGE 13
HIV NUTRITION UPDATE
VOLUME 8, ISSUE 3
(Continued from page 12)


What was the most difficult issue you had to deal with when you started? Ms Eliasi notes, “Earning the respect of the patients. Some patients were used to seeing the RD before me while others did not feel that nutrition was a necessary component of healthcare.  I also had to deal with the changing face of AIDS.  I did not expect to have so many clients who needed weight loss counseling and to be weaned off oral supplements.”

Who is your best ally?  Jennifer notes, “I can not say that it is one person.  I would have to say that it is the clinical team. All of our roles are intertwined. Without one, the others can not fully function or be completely effective. The MD, physician’s assistant’s (PA), registered nurses (RNs), psychiatrist and case managers make my role easier by reinforcing the need to follow the advice of the RD.  It helps that the medical director believes in nutrition’s role in the care of HIV-positive people and my administrator encourages me to gain further education in HIV care.” 

 
 
Are there any differences in clinical care within your population group? Ms Eliasi states, “Every patient receives the same quality of care.  Our patients are seen by a primary care provider, RN, case manager, RD and if deemed necessary through screening, a psychiatrist.”

What differences exist between current clientele and that of the HIV-positive person in the early 1980s?   Jennifer notes. “There are more women, and more black and Latino people with the virus.  Hepatitis C co-infection is becoming more prevalent.  There is more dependence on substances and oral supplements.  There are also a growing number of elderly people with HIV, either because they are just getting infected or have been living with the virus for some time.”

Do you participate regularly in HIV/AIDS networking groups? Jennifer is very involved with the Nutritionists in AIDS Care (NIAC) and Chair-Elect of the HIV/AIDS Dietetic Practice Group (DPG) of the American Dietetic Association. She stays current about the latest medical changes, trends and medications and attends conferences such as those sponsored by the International AIDS Society, ANSA (Association of Nutrition Services Agencies), and various workshops. 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
"I did not expect to have so many clients who needed weight loss counseling and to be weaned off oral supplements."
 

 

 
Is someone involved in program operation also actively involved with your local HIV/AIDS Health Services Planning Council? Jennifer notes, “Not at this time since Ryan White Title I does not fund our agency.  We are very involved with the AIDS Institute and have prominent positions in local and state boards.”

What have you found to be most useful in helping to keep up with the current research on nutrition and HIV?  Jennifer uses a number of tools to keep up-to-date on HIV nutrition including: CME lectures for physicians, nutrition lectures, the Positive Communications newsletter of the HIV/AIDS DPG, the HIV/AIDS DPG list-serve, and journals and newsletters.
 


 
 

 
 
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11/30/2002