Service Organization Helps Katrina Victims

In the wake of the hurricane that struck last month, National Institutes of Health (NIH) has created a round-the-clock network of medical consultation services for healthcare professionals treating victims, clinical trial participants, and patients affected by the disaster. To find out more call 800-887-2842 or go to niad.nih.gov on the web. The Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA’s) HIV/AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) (HAB) has created a Hurricane Katrina questions and answers database for Ryan White Care Act (RWCA) grantees. The Q & A section includes questions such as waiving the normal eligibility process/requirements for RWCA services, serving people living with HIV/AIDS from outside your RWCA service area, who can pay for HIV/AIDS medications other than the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), transfer of medical records, and what to do if someone asks for HIV/AIDS treatment without any documentation. The HRSA web site also provides other useful links related to the Hurricane Katrina relief and recovery effort at hrsa.gov/Katrina/. The American Academy of HIV Medicine (AAHIVM) and the HIV Medicine Associations (HIVMA) have put together Recommendations for the Triage of HIV + Patients. The AIDSInfo staff have revised the popular HIV and Its Treatment: What You Should Know fact sheet series to include information on the drug Tipranavir, which was recently approved by the FDA. New HIV/AIDS trials have been added to Clinical Trials.gov in the last seven days. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) said that given the potential enormity of the medical needs in the wake of the hurricane they have mobilized a national, on-call volunteer medical network. Information is available in areas of adult endocrinology, cancer, cardiac/pulmonary diseases, environmental/toxic concerns, genetic diseases, infectious diseases and tropical/ geographic medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, ophthalmology, pediatric endocrinology, pediatric metabolism, and psychiatry. If you are participating in a NIAID-sponsored clinical trial in a hospital or medical practice located in the hurricane-affected region, call 1-866-887-2842 for information on alternative sites. Provide as much information as you can about the clinical trial (Protocol number, type of disease, name of test drug, location, and name of the investigator) to help the medical consultation specialists direct you to the appropriate resources. Participants in Community Programs for Clinical Research on AIDS (CPCRA) studies – such as SMART, FIRST, or LTM – who are from the Louisiana community AIDS Research Program in New Orleans can contact the CPCRA Operations Center with questions or concerns about their study participation and the provision of study drugs and associated medical care. The contact is Eric Daniels (edaniels@s-3.com) or 800-230-7339. Pediatric AIDS Clinical Group (PACTG) efforts to triage and refer pediatric and teenager HIV/AIDS patients includes coordination service for doctors and other medical providers. The coordinator for New Orleans patients may be reached at 800-756-0471 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday-Friday Eastern Standard Time. NIH is participating in a departmental task force to respond to the disaster and is exploring several ways to maximize the use of the unique skill sets of the NIH staff, according to a press release on their website. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is focusing all of its public health and emergency response efforts on providing relief, care, and assistance to the victims of the hurricane, according to staff.