Health care providers in Greater Nebraska will have the opportunity to learn the latest treatment and prevention information for HIV/AIDS at a statewide conference on Thursday, April 29, near Grand Island.
The First Annual Nebraska Statewide HIV/AIDS Conference, titled “20 Years of Progress,” will take place at the Interstate Holiday Inn, near the Grand Island and Hastings Interstate interchange. The conference is sponsored by the Nebraska AIDS Education and Training Center, of the UNMC HIV Clinic, and the Nebraska AIDS Project.
“It’s appropriate to have this statewide conference in rural Nebraska because AIDS is a disease that is not exclusively in urban areas,” said Joseph Hoagbin, M.D., director of the Nebraska AIDS Education and Training Center. “We want to reach out to rural providers. We want to make sure that the patients in rural areas get appropriate testing and care, as well as the best education to prevent the transmission of the disease.”
An assistant professor of medicine at UNMC, Dr. Hoagbin also is the deputy director of the UNMC HIV Clinic. He said the day-long conference will cover the basics of AIDS/HIV care and will have components for other infectious diseases prevalent in rural Nebraska, including hepatitis C. Among the topics related to HIV/AIDS care that will be covered are substance abuse, women’s health, HIV prevention in rural communities, peer education and others.
Dr. Hoagbin said there’s a definite need for HIV/AIDS education in the rural areas. The UNMC HIV team travels to Grand Island every six weeks and to North Platte quarterly to see patients. Each time, their schedules are overbooked.
“We’re busier than we want to be,” Dr. Hoagbin said. “HIV/AIDS is everywhere in the state. We hope that this conference will enable health professionals in these areas to better address their patients’ needs.”
Those who would benefit from the statewide conference include physicians, physician assistants, therapists, dental health professionals, outreach workers, nurses, nurse practitioners, psychologists, educators, public health professionals, social workers, and faculty, students and staff in health profession schools.
Registration is $30 and includes breakfast and lunch. Continuing Education hours for nurses have been applied for through Central Community College. To register call
Daniel Cobos at (402) 559-5750 or e-mail him at: dcobos@unmc.edu
For sponsorship or booth information call Joe Gerstandt, Nebraska AIDS Project
402.552.9260 x126 or e-mail him at JoeG@nap.org