Service Needs of PLWH/AsThe planning council routinely commissions new assessments of the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH/As) in the Baltimore EMA. In general, PLWH/As need a variety of both medical services and supportive services that help them receive medical care. Some examples of the types of services they need include:
Primary Medical Care
Primary medical care is care given by a doctor, physician's assistant, or nurse in a doctor's office or clinic. The care might include a general medical exam, like checking blood pressure, or it could include services like blood tests, treating infections, or prescribing medications.
Case Management
Case management helps PLWH/As to plan, coordinate and receive all needed services.
Mental-health Services
Many people, upon learning of a positive HIV test result, feel frightened, worried, or all alone. Sometimes talking about those feelings with someone can be helpful; someone like a therapist or psychiatrist. These services are available to clients, family and household members and caregivers, to help them with some of the feelings like fear, anxiety, worry, or loneliness that they might feel as they deal with their own or their loved one's HIV diagnosis.
Substance-abuse Treatment
Substance-abuse treatment means medical care or counseling to treat problems with alcohol or legal or illegal drugs.
Food and Nutritional Services
This service includes the delivery of food, meals, or nutritional supplements to house-bound PLWH/As. Nutritional counseling involves education about menu planning and how diet and medications work together, evaluation of weight changes, and referral to food programs like WIC and food stamps.
The above are only examples of the types of services that many PLWH/As need. For a complete list of funded services and their detailed definitions, refer to the Standards of Care.
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