AIDS Action Europe
AIDS Action Europe was founded in 2004. Its headquarters are stationed in Amsterdam and this organization is globally linked to ICASO (International Council of AIDS Service Organizations). AIDS Action Europe seeks to provide social justice to those living with AIDS. They are also responsible for getting the word about AIDS and HIV to Germany and across Europe. This organization’s main goals are as follows; “Strengthen civil society’s contribution to a more effective response to the HIV epidemic; Make an effective and meaningful contribution to regional and national policies related to HIV and AIDS; Facilitate continuous exchange among NGOs on good practices and lessons learned related to HIV and AIDS; Develop a stronger, more effective organization and network”. (AIDS Action Europe, 2010)
Source:
AIDS Action Europe. (2010) Retrieved on October 6, 2010 from http://www.aidsactioneurope.org/index.php?id=53
After watching the show, “The Doctors” today, they had a segment on CPR. The doctor’s were saying that for people who are scared to give mouth-to-mouth breaths, to at least carry out the stomach thrusts, which are the most important thing. After last week’s question of the week, I thought I would share this general information to those of you who would be scared to help give CPR to a person with HIV. The doctors on the show specifically said that the most important key to saving the person’s life is to keep their blood flowing by pumping on their chests.
After reading the book The Least of These My Brethren, I started wondering how my own hospital perceives people with HIV or AIDS. Because my mother is an ICU nurse, I began asking her how many AIDS patients she sees weekly. She told me that they generally get 3 or 4 a month, and that they usually come from off the streets. She told me that they generally never get “clean” or “rich” patients because they usually can afford to be in nice treatment centers or hospices to spend the last months or weeks of their lives.
I began thinking about how awful it would be to have to endure being homeless on top of having AIDS. These people are just waiting for life to take them. There is no way that they can afford the highly priced medicines or healthcare services while living on the streets. That means no morphine for intolerable pain or nobody there to make sure that they are being well nourished.
After she told me this, I started to wonder where people like this could get help besides the hospital and before it is too late. I live in Lake County, Florida, and I can’t even think of an AIDS clinic that is around here. Although I am sure that there has to be one, it is kind of sad that I do not even know where it is. This has really showed me that AIDS awareness in my own community is hardly present. It is pretty sad.
Did You Know?
“An estimated 3,992 children (<13 years at diagnosis) were living with an AIDS diagnosis in 2007. The vast majority of these children acquired HIV through mother-to-child transmission. “ (Avert, 2010).
Source:
United States HIV & AIDS Statistics Summary. (2010) Avert. Retrieved on October 6, 2010 from http://www.avert.org/usa-statistics.htm
It is interesting what your mother said about the patients she sees with HIV or AIDS. My mother is an oncology nurse is sarasota,fl and they get overflow patients on their floor pretty often meaning they get patients that do not require treatment for cancer. She said she sees a lot of people with AIDS or HIV and they are usually from prison or off the streets and are drug users. She said the same thing your mother said abou not seeing and rich or upper class patients with HIV or AIDS. The similarities are interesting.
ReplyDeleteI have no fear of giving mouth-to-mouth to someone with HIV unless there is blood in the mouth. I can't get HIV by performing that part of the CPR functions. If there were blood, and I didn't have a mask and Ambu bag, I would just do the thrusts.
ReplyDeleteCheck with your local ASO and see if they can answer your question.
I liked your blog better when it all flowed. Seeing it broken up like this is harder to read. Just leave a couple of spaces between the sections and label them.