Erie Family Health Center

This month Erie Family Health Center will celebrate the 20th Anniversary of our nationally-recognized HIV/AIDS program, Lending Hands for Life. Erie will host an event called Paint the Town Red, which will celebrate the life of the program and the patients that have become part of the Erie family.

In the last 20 years, the progress in the treatment of HIV has been truly spectacular.  In the early 1980s, a diagnosis of HIV was a death sentence.  In 1987, the AZT drug was approved and using this alone dramatically slowed progression to AIDS.   There was great optimism for a while, but unfortunately, the progression to AIDS was delayed only for one or two years.  This medication, however, proved the concept that medications could be developed to treat the ravaging effects of HIV on the immune system.  Over the past two decades, there have been 25 medications developed to treat HIV and when used wisely they are remarkably effective at treating HIV.  Not all people with HIV/ADS have access to quality health care and medications in our country due to barriers such as the cost of care; that is why programs like Lending Hands for Life, where people are treated regardless of their ability to pay, are so important. When patients are connected to care at places like Erie, they have access to the life-saving medications they need.   Every few years, with pharmaceutical developments, the medications have become easier to take, with fewer side effects and even fewer pills. 

Despite this, sometimes patients do not take medications.  There are several reasons for this.  One is that it is hard to remember to take medications regularly, especially if you feel fine.  I personally became aware of how hard this is when I forgot at times to take my prenatal vitamin when I was pregnant.  I would have never guessed this would be a problem for me both as a doctor and a conscientious future mother who wanted the best for my baby.  Amazingly, though, it is extremely hard to remember to take even one pill that has no side effects unless you really work on incorporating it into your life.   Also, many Lending Hands for Life patients have difficult social lives or unsupportive family.  Often, incorporating taking medications regularly into one’s life can be difficult when where you live changes week to week.

What makes Erie’s Lending Hands for Life Program special is our ability to have patients take ownership and become partners in their own care. Through our close management of patient health by treating our patients as we would want to be treated, the large majority of Lending Hands for Life patients have undetectable HIV in their blood.  Lending Hands for Life exceeds the standards of care when compared with national averages on almost every indicator, many times by a significant amount.  The reason for this is the caring group of people that make up the Lending Hands for Life team.  We provide comprehensive services under one roof and the team consists of folks who truly exemplify what a team approach to medical care can look like.  I have had patients tell me on more than one occasion that they came to a medical appointment or started taking their medications because they didn’t want to disappoint a Lending Hands for Life team member. The inescapable conclusion I’ve reached is that patients view us as more than mere service providers. This to me, in so many ways, tells me that we are doing something right and providing our patients with the care they deserve.

I hope that you will consider joining me and my amazing team on February 24 to celebrate the success of Lending Hands for Life. We look forward to the opportunity to serve patients for another 20 years and hope that you can be a partner in our success. For more information, to purchase tickets or to make a donation to our program, please visit the Paint the Town Red page.

Tags: community health, Erie, event, HIV/AIDS