Patient Education Materials:  Ms. Bouvier often creates educational materials specific to the HIV population. Other sources of educational materials include the Health Care and HIV Nutritional Guide for Providers and Clients by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and Patient Education Materials and Instructors Guide by the American Dietetic Association (ADA). Food models and the Food Guide Pyramid are utilized to assist patients in understanding how to plan meals.

What was the most difficult issue you had to deal with when you started? Creating nutrition programs for the HIV Outpatient Program was difficult. “Since I was filling a newly created position at the clinic. I had to create policies and procedures and search for reliable HIV and nutrition information,” says Ms. Bouvier, “At that point in time the HIV/AIDS Dietetic Practice Group had not yet been formed.”

Who is your best ally?  Allies include physicians and nurse practitioners at the HIV Outpatient Program of the Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans. According to Ms. Bouvier, “They have demonstrated to me that they believe nutrition is an important part of the health care we provide at the clinic. They trust and respect me and they back me up 100 percent.” 

What differences exist between current clientele and that of the HIV-positive person in the early 1980s?   Currently, since the clinic first opened, there are fewer HIV-positive babies and more HIV-positive adolescents. Women are now one-third of our patient base, whereas they were less than 10% of our patients 10 years ago. The Hispanic population is growing in New Orleans, and therefore in our clinic population.