Health care providers in greater Nebraska will have the opportunity to learn the latest treatment information for HIV/AIDS at a statewide conference this week.
The Third Annual Nebraska Statewide HIV/AIDS Conference, titled “Steppin’ Up,” will take place on Wednesday, May 17, at the Interstate Holiday Inn, near the Grand Island/Hastings interchange at mile marker 312, on Wednesday, May 17. The conference is sponsored by the Nebraska AIDS Education and Training Center, a collaboration of the University of Nebraska Medical Center HIV Clinic and the Nebraska AIDS Project.
Ziba Jalali, M.D., an assistant professor and infectious diseases specialist at UNMC, said this year’s conference will provide opportunities for health care professionals to share the latest HIV/AIDS treatments and to discuss challenges that must be met for effective treatment of patients with HIV/AIDS.
“This conference allows health care professionals, especially those in rural areas, to learn about the most recent developments in treating HIV/AIDS,” Dr. Jalali said. “The conference also will provide a network for those professionals to discuss their experiences with one another.”
HIV disease, Dr. Jalali said, is now considered a chronic disease of which all health care providers need to have a basic knowledge.
“Certainly, HIV/AIDS isn’t a problem that is exclusive to Omaha or Lincoln, nor is it a ‘gay man’s disease.,’” Dr. Jalali said. “This conference provides a means for health care providers in greater Nebraska to learn about how to better treat patients who are infected with HIV.”
Dr. Jalali will open the conference with a presentation on avoiding HIV transmission during pregnancy. Among the other conference topics are HIV testing, medications, education, risky behaviors, outreach, prevention and common misconceptions.
Dr. Jalali, an assistant professor at UNMC, said the need for the conference is evident in greater Nebraska. The UNMC HIV team travels to Grand Island every two months to see patients.
Those who would benefit from the 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. The registration fee is $30 and includes continental breakfast and lunch.
To register for the conference, contact Kay McClure at Central Community College at (308) 398-7443 or email at kmcclure@cccneb.edu.