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HIV NUTRITION UPDATE
VOLUME 9, ISSUE 4

(Continued from page 15)
Chicken Soup Brigade
The Food Program of Lifelong AIDS Alliance
By  Heidi Lichtner, MA, RD, LDN

Are there any differences in clinical care within your population group? Nicole sees differences between the care of people with HIV versus those without HIV.  Some physicians are more aggressive with lipid therapies and diabetes care. Nicole notes, "The clients with the most complicated mental health issues tend to get less therapies for other conditions but this is likely for several reasons."

What differences exist between your current clientele and that of the HIV-positive person in the early 1980s? Nicole is fairly new to working in the field of HIV nutrition. The RD who worked at the organization before Nicole was hired noted an increase in the number of intravenous drug users and Hispanic males. Nicole has learned from various sources that a great deal has changed since the advent of antiretrovirals.
 

What was the most difficult issue you had to deal with when you started? Nicole notes that a lack of information made it difficult for her to do her job effectively. The agency did not have an RD on staff for many months before she started. Nicole created her role with the help of members belonging to the American Dietetic Association's (ADA)  HIV/AIDS Dietetic Practice Group (DPG). 

Who is your best ally? As the previous RD, Nicole reports that her supervisor, the Director of Programs, David Richart is her best ally. "He respects my training and responds to my concerns as they come up. He is a wonderful person, both personally and professionally, and I consider myself lucky to have him as my supervisor."

Do you participate regularly in HIV/AIDS networking groups? Nicole participates in the HIV/AIDS DPG electronic list serve. She meets with the RD’s from Madison Clinic and the Bailey Boushay House regularly, but notes it is not an official networking group. Nicole subscribes to many electronic HIV email updates but for the most part is just happy to receive the messages without replying to them. Nicole does participate in a variety of non-HIV dedicated electronic list serves such as Dietetics-L operated by the ADA, since her clients can have heart disease and diabetes just like other population groups. She notes that since she is the only nutrition professional on staff, she does not have the luxury of getting updates on HIV nutrition from co-workers. Nicole makes an extra effort to use computer and other technology to her advantage to try and make up for that loss.

 

 
 
 
 
 
"Nicole notes, "The clients with the most complicated mental health issues tend to get less therapies for other conditions but this is likely for several reasons."
What have you found to be most useful in helping to keep up with the current research on nutrition and HIV? Ms. Sievers notes that, “The many electronic list serves and email update services offered by reputable sources are a real time saver for me. I also found the Association of Nutrition Services Agencies (ANSA) conference held in New York this past August to be very informational. It was a great opportunity to meet people face to face. All the online information in the world cannot substitute for the unique learning opportunity you get from face to face contact.”
 
 

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5/15/2005