Oct 2009 - Waterbury Hospital

An “ExeContinued from page 1The review in June follows a Ryan WhitePart C Early Intervention Services Grantthat Waterbury Hospital was awarded in2003 to expand services to People LivingWith HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs) in the GreaterWaterbury region. This grant is continuouslyfunded through 2012. Before thegrant was awarded, the hospital offeredonly very limited clinical services for thesepatients, and the grant enabled the clinicto move to a larger suite of offices at 140Grandview Ave. The purpose of the sitevisit was to evaluate WHIC’s compliancewith the terms of the Ryan White CARE Actand the expectations of the Division ofCommunity Based Programs.Since 2003, the clinic has grown more thantwo-fold to a full-service organization thatboasts six examination rooms and a staffof 25 people, including: three full-time andone part-time Board-certified InfectiousDisease physicians, a psychiatrist, anAPRN, a Program Coordinator, an LPN,two adherence nurses, two licensed substanceabuse counselors, a ClinicalTherapist, a nutritionist, three medicalcase managers, a licensed social worker,an outreach worker, an HIV/health educator,two medical assistants and three peereducators.The clinic’s commitment to its patientsstarts from the top, with the Chief of ourInfectious Disease Section, StevenAronin, MD; the Medical Director of theWHIC, Lydia Barakat, MD; our new fulltimeInfectious Disease specialist, ErnestoMontesino, MD; and our grant administrator,Juana Clarke. You will get a clearsense of their compassion and commitmentin their own words throughout thisissue of the newsletter.Lastly, we are grateful that HRSA continuesto provide grant funding to supportservices for the region’s population of HIVand AIDS patients. Without the funding,our WHIC clinicians could not do whatthey do.Steven E. Schneider, MDVice President of Medical Affairs2Steven Aronin, MDChief, Infectious Disease Section,Waterbury HospitalMedical School: Ross UniversitySchool of Medicine, West IndiesResidency: Yale Primary CareProgram, Yale University School ofMedicineFellowship: Infectious Disease, YaleUniversity School of Medicine“I am extremely proud of the HRSAreviewer’s findings, and how theyreflect on my team. At WHIC, we worktogether toward the common goal ofimproving the lives of PLWHAs by providinghigh-quality comprehensive primarycare, while at the same timeempowering them through educationand providing opportunities to participatein their own care.The current ID physicians at WaterburyHospital are following in the footsteps ofGeorge Thornton, MD, who treated thefirst AIDS patients at the hospital in the1980s. Thanks to the addition of a grantsdepartment in 2001 – as well as thevision of Dr. Thornton’s successor,Merceditas Villanueva, MD – we wereawarded Ryan White Part C EarlyIntervention Services (EIS) funding in2003 and established a stand-alonepractice on the Waterbury Hospitalcampus that has grown exponentially.While the comments made in the HRSAreviewer’s report are reassuring, theultimate judge is the client. I believe thateveryone who works at WHIC sensesthey are part of something special, andare motivated to ensure good clinicaloutcomes for patients and to keep themin care. Our team approach is especiallyevident when a newly diagnosedpatient walks into the clinic and eachmember of the team goes into action.Some successful elements of WHICinclude: incorporating self-managementand health education/risk reduction intoroutine office visits; formation of activeConsumer Advisory and self-helpgroups; using photography to empowerpatients and improve their quality of life;provision of on-site rapid HIV testing forpartners and referrals; and hiring peersto be on site to become an integral partof the care team.Currently, WHIC is the largest outpatientclinic in the Waterbury area to providecomprehensive primary medical and IDspecialty care. We serve a diverse andpredominantly impoverished population,and have an active roster of close to 500patients. In 2009, we were selected bythe City of New Haven to be the region’sLead Agency for Ryan White Part A. Iam very appreciative of the WaterburyHospital administrators and the staff atthe Department of Grants, who from thebeginning have supported us and ourvision to provide top-notch care toPLWHAs. In 2009, we will work togetherto manage over $950,000 in grantincome.”