HIV Clinical Care Program Opened By Columbia University Student Health Services

A new program at Columbia University for care for HIV-positive students could provide a model for universities and
other institutions as well.

The clinic will offer anonymous antibody testing and counseling. Lab work for the antibody test will be done by New
York City; counseling by the Gay Health Advocacy Project, which is assisting the University's health service in setting up the program. All costs will be included in existing student health coverage; the program is designed to keep costs low.

At the initial visit, HIV-positive students will be given a standard medical workup, including an anergy panel and
lymphocyte subset, to be repeated every three or six months. Those who show a drop in T4 cells, or HIV symptoms, will be referred for consultation to an AIDS expert at St. Luke's/Roosevelt Hospital, which is affiliated with Columbia
University. Students will also be referred to a seropositive support group, to meet periodically.

To start the project, a nurse-practitioner from Community Health Project of the Gay and Lesbian Community Center, which has much experience working with people with AIDS, will see patients and also train one physician and two nurse
practitioners at Columbia's Student Health Services.

This project, starting on an experiment with an evaluation after six months, will open March 30. For more information,
call Columbia University Student Health Services, (212) 280-2878; ask for Laura Pinsky, Gerard Ilaria, or Paul Douglas.

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