Elaine Cox, M.D., clinical assistant professor of pediatrics, and Denise Shalkowski, R.N., collaborated on A Family's Guide to Living with HIV, a 76-page book that includes a wide range of helpful information. Free copies of the book have been sent to pediatric HIV programs around the country.
"It's important to remember that there is more to the child in our clinic than just his or her disease," says Dr. Cox, who sees virtually all children in Indiana afflicted with HIV at the Ryan White Center for Pediatric Infectious Disease at Riley Hospital.
Dr. Cox and Shalkowski detail medical information about the disease, clinic visits, psychological concerns, how medications work and their side effects, a glossary of terms and a listing of helpful resources. The publication also focuses on lifestyle issues for HIV patients and their families, including nutrition, school activities, sports, travel and sexuality.
"We wrote the book so that our patients and their families could have the information written in a way they could understand," Dr. Cox says. "This is a very complicated illness and makes for a complicated lifestyle."
Every family with a patient having HIV who visits the Ryan White Center receives a free copy of the book. Children's hospitals and the general public requesting the free guide can obtain a copy by contacting the Riley Infectious Disease Department at 317-274-7260. It also can be downloaded at www.clarian.org/pdf/hivguide.pdf.
The Ryan White Center for Pediatric Infectious Disease is named in honor of Ryan White, whose high-profile battle against AIDS captured the attention of the world. White, who was treated for his disease at Riley Hospital by IU physici
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Contact: Joe Stuteville
jstutevi@iupui.edu
317-274-7722
Indiana University
7-Feb-2005