Just for the Health of it….
Fall 2004
Calabash!  2004 Calabash!, one of Sonoma County’s most colorful art events takes place Sunday, October 3 from 1 to 4 pm at Food for Thought in Forestville. HIV+ Expressive Arts Group Anyone with HIV is invited to experience creative expression as a means of healing in an on-going drop-in group.  Every Tuesday (starting Sept 14) from 1:30 to 4 pm at 625 Fifth Street around the corner from 499 Humbolt.  For more information call Arjuna 869-9704	West Nile Virus:  What you need to know: Earlier this summer the Sonoma County Department of Health Services confirmed that West Nile Virus (WNV) arrived in our county.  A dead bird found on July 27, 2004 in Petaluma was found to be infected with the virus.  As of September 3, 2004, twenty more infected birds have been identified but there have been no reported human cases in Sonoma County.  There have been over 400 human cases in the state, mostly in the Los Angeles area.  West Nile Virus (WNV) primarily infects birds but mosquitoes who feed on both birds and humans can transmit the virus.  WNV can also be spread by blood transfusions although this is extremely rare and the Blood Bank of the Redwoods screens for the virus.  The virus is not spread by casual contact like touching or kissing an infected person. WNV can cause a range of symptoms.  The vast majority of people infected with WNV will have no symptoms.  About 80% of the people infected with the virus do not experience any noticeable illness.  Approximately 20% of people infected with the virus will have a mild flu-like illness.  These symptoms include fever, body aches, headache, nausea and sometimes a rash.  These symptoms usually appear from 3-14 days after infection and tend to resolve in four to seven days.  There is no specific treatment for the infection.  Antibiotics are not helpful.  The infection is self-limiting and the symptoms will abate without treatment.  Symptomatic control with acetaminophen and fluids is helpful. Less than one percent of people infected with the virus will have a more serious illness.  The symptoms of severe disease include high fever, intense headache, neck stiffness, confusion, muscle weakness, tremors and even coma.  These symptoms can occur in anyone infected with the virus but are more likely to occur in immunocompromised persons and people over the age of 50.  Patients experiencing these sever symptoms need to be evaluated by their physician and likely will be cared for in the hospital.  It is important to remember that the severe form of the disease is a rare complication from a rare disease.  While there is no cause for alarm, there are reasons to take precautions.  The best way to avoid the infection is to avoid mosquito bites.  The Sonoma County Health Department recommends the four Ds: · Drain standing water around the house weekly.  (flower pots, rain barrels, puddles, tires, cans etc.) · Dusk and Dawn are the times of day the mosquito infected with WNV is most active.  Avoid being outside at these times if possible. · DEET is an effective ingredient in insect repellants. · Dress in long sleeves and pants when outside especially during the dawn and dusk hours. West Nile Virus is here and while it can be a serious illness, the risk of infection is low and the risk of having significant symptoms is extremely low.  Prevention is the best defense and these simple recommendations from our health department will make the low risk of problems even lower.  If you have any questions about symptoms or how to protect yourself, talk it over with your health care provider.  You can also call the Department of Health Information Line at (707) 565-4477. Farewell, Dr. Gorchoff Dr. David Gorchoff is leaving West County Health Centers in October to become a full-time health consultant for HIV and Family Practice.  Dr. Gorchoff began working for Russian River Health Center as a physician in July 1988 and became our Medical Director in 1990, serving in that capacity from 1990-1996, then again from 1998 to now.  He became Medical Director of West County Health Centers when Russian River Health Center and Occidental Area Health Center merged in January 2000.  David helped to develop our HIV program, becoming our first HIV Program Director in 1990.  He’s served in that capacity ever since, as well as serving as the HIV Medical Director until he handed that position over Dr. Steve Bromer last year.  Dr. Bromer will assume David’s position as HIV Program Director and RRHC Medical Director. David’s commitment to HIV has always been very strong.  He’s been a champion for our program, making sure that the services we offer our HIV patients are always top-notch.  We wish him the best in his endeavors.
Straight from the Heart Support and Activities group for HIV+ heterosexual men and women.  Meets the first and third Friday evenings of the month.  Contact Veronica Alas, Kaiser Permanente 571-4645. W.O.R.L.D.’s 24^th Retreat for Women with HIV/AIDS October 4-6, 2004 in Alamo, CA ( 40 minutes east of Oakland).  There are monies available to support women from Sonoma County attending this retreat.  Contact Brian Griffiths @ 565-7631. WORLD also has scholarship money available for women attending for the first time.  Contact Paula Runnals @ 510-986-0340, ext 303 Application deadline is Wednesday, Sept 22, 2004. Russian River Health Center PO Box 226 Guerneville, CA 95446 (707) 869-2849 Occidental Area Health Center PO Box 100 Occidental, CA 95465 (707) 874-2444	MedUpdate Hepatitis A & B Immunizations Hepatitis A is a serious liver disease caused by the hepatits A virus (HAV).  HAV is found in the stool of persons with hepatitis A.  It is usually spread by close personal contact and sometimes by eating food or drinking water containing HAV.  A person who hepatitis A can easily pass the disease to others within the same household.  Hepatitis A vaccine can prevent hepatitis A.  People should be vaccinated with hepatitis A vaccine: if they are traveling to countries with high or intermediate prevalence of HAV, such as Central or South America, the Caribbean, Mexico, Asia, Africa and eastern Europe.; men who have sex with men; persons who use street drugs; persons with chronic liver disease. Hepatitis B is a serious liver disease caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV).  HBV is spread through contact with the blood and body fluids of an infected person.  A person can get infected in several ways, such as:  by having unprotected sex with an infected person, by sharing needles when injecting illegal drugs, being stuck with a used needle on the job, during birth when the virus passes from an infected mother to her baby.  Adults at risk for HBV infection include:  people who have more than one sex partner in 6 months, men who have sex with other men, sex partners of infected people, people who inject illegal drugs. If you are not sure whether you are at risk, ask you Doctor. AIDSmeds.com AIDSmeds.com was founded by Peter Staley in 1999. He was diagnosed with AIDS-related complex in 1985 while working as a bond trader on Wall Street. In 1987, Peter became a founding member of ACT UP New York. While heading the group's fundraising efforts, he also organized & led many of ACT UP's successful demonstrations & policy initiatives. In 1990, he was an opening plenary speaker at the VI International Conference on AIDS in San Francisco. In 1992, Peter founded the Treatment Action Group (TAG). TAG's first action and "art project" involved covering Senator Jesse Helms's home with a giant condom! This small group of committed activists quickly became one of the leading voices in AIDS research advocacy. Peter has been a board member of the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) since 1991, and was a member of President Clinton's National Task Force on AIDS Drug Development. Peter founded AIDSmeds.com for two reasons: to continue helping people living with HIV, and to finally get himself off disability. Lolly’s Last Word Remember that ADAP needs to be renewed every year in the month of your birthday. Danny Beaver is the ADAP coordinator here at the RRHC.  He comes to Guerneville on the first Monday of each month.  To make an appointment, call him @ 565-7402. If you have problems with Medi-Cal applications, the RRHC has an Access Coordinator here to help you. Her name is Stella Eaton and you can make an appointment with her by calling 869-2849.