PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos Islands; Monday, March 9^th, 2009 - The National AIDS Programme within the Ministry of Health and Human Services continues to provide training for health personnel and other sectors, through the DFID Project “Taking action against HIV/AIDS in the Overseas Territories.”

To this end, a training workshop entitled “Health sector training for treatment, care and support for PLWHA” will be conducted from 10 – 12 March, 2009 at the Environmental Health Center, the Bight, Providenciales.

The training aims to meet the following objectives:

1. To increase and enhance the quality of clinical care and patient outcomes in the area of HIV/STI/TB care across the primary and secondary levels of health care within the TCI.

2. To build the capacity of physicians, nurses and pharmacists to provide comprehensive, standardized HIV/STI/TB clinical services, by increasing HIV/STI/TB related knowledge, promoting positive attitudes towards PLWHA and MARPS; and enhance clinical management practices.

3. To promote the integration of HIV/STI/TB care into the primary health care setting.

4. To reduce the barriers to HIV/STI/TB health seeking behaviour, particularly amongst vulnerable groups and persons living with HIV, focusing on stigma and discrimination; confidentiality; and codes of practice within the ranks of healthcare providers

5. To identify and establish a professional relationship with healthcare workers in the primary and secondary levels who, by virtue of; interest; HIV/STI/TB caseload; high contact time with vulnerable groups, can be supported in ongoing knowledge and skills development through preceptorship, onsite clinical training and mentoring.

It is hoped that the workshop will provide a foundation for further educational experiences in the care of persons living with HIV/AIDS and on completion of the workshop:

The participants will be able to conduct:

1. Initial evaluation of retroviral naïve patient prior to initiation of therapy.
2. Determination of patient readiness for the therapy according to local/ regional guidelines on ARV treatment.
3. Initiation of ARV therapy according to local/ regional guidelines.
4. Routine follow-up of patient already on ARV therapy according to local/regional guidelines on ARV treatment
5. Management of opportunistic infections.
6. Basic patient education to include:

                        Medication adherence

                        Prevention for positives

                        Promotion of healthy lifestyle changes

7. Identification and management of treatment failure
8. Management of medication adverse effects and non-adherence
9. Initiation of ARV care in a patient co-infected with TB

• The participant will be equipped with resources for further self-directed learning.

• The participant will be sensitized to issues of HIV in TCI and the region, with particular focus on the role of vulnerable groups. They will be able to identify some of the barriers to access to services and the impact of such issues on the local epidemic. They will be empowered to change practices that promote stigma and discrimination and that cause breeches of confidentiality within their specific work environments. They will also be empowered to promote and initiate HIV testing with clients at their clinical sites.

The main facilitator for the training will be Dr. Nicholas Adamakoh, Infectious Disease Specialist, Barbados; however local professionals will also make presentations.

Participants for the training will include doctors, nurses and pharmacists.