At Children’s National, we understand that families have many questions about their child’s condition and care. In addition to any resources your provider may give you, our resources listed below can also support your ongoing treatment journey.
Medical Care Treatment
Our comprehensive medical team of HIV medicine and infectious disease certified providers with pediatric and adolescent expertise includes diverse cadre of healthcare workers from nurses to nurse practitioners and medical doctors. We provide:
- In-person and telehealth medical care
- HIV counseling and education that is tailored to children, adolescents and adults
- HIV testing on site
- Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)
- Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP)
- Rapid initiation of Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) from infancy into the adulthood
- Adherence support and directly observed therapy
- PrEP, PEP and ART access to all through insurance and non-insurance support programs
- Prevention of HIV transmission to an infant including testing and support during breastfeeding
- Enhanced immunizations for people living with HIV
- Enhanced sexually transmitted disease (STD) testing and treatment
- Referral to the reproductive health services (e.g., OB/GYN care, contraception, etc.)
- HIV care during pregnancy
- On-site radiology and imaging studies
- Referral to the wide array of pediatric primary and subspecialty care with diverse locations around metropolitan D.C.
- Access to clinical trials of novel HIV medications
Nutrition Services
The Registered Dietitian provides medical nutrition therapy to all children and youth living with HIV, which is closely linked to medication adherence and includes the following:
- Nutrition assessments, education on healthy eating and nutritional counseling
- Access to healthy affordable foods
- Provision of fresh produce at clinic visits
- Screening for food insecurity
- Provision of non-perishable food items to patients as needed
- Cooking classes for children, youth and siblings based on healthy, affordable eating are held monthly. Each participant receives take-home ingredients to recreate the recipe at home.
Social Work Services
- Client needs assessment
- Individualized treatment plan
- Coordination of medical care
- HIV 101 and sexual reproductive health education
- Medication adherence counseling and support
- Assistance with insurance subscription renewals
- Assistance with resources and referrals in the community (e.g., housing assistance)
- Transportation support
- Emergency financial assistance
- Parent Advisory Council
- Status Neutral Community Advisory Board
Mental Health
Mental health services are integrated within medical care provided for youth and families to ensure they receive comprehensive care. Given the prevalence of social, emotional, behavioral and academic problems, as well as substance use among youth living with HIV, routine screening and recommendations are provided.
Our psychologists provide the following services to our patients:
- In-clinic and telehealth consultations
- Mental health screening
- Substance use screening
- Pill swallowing evaluations and training
- Peer support groups
- Individual therapy
- Disclosure of HIV status services and support
- Parent education and targeted family therapy
- Psychiatric evaluation and medication management
- Psychological testing
Patient Care Navigator/Coordinator
The Patient Care Navigator (PCN) primarily works with HIV-exposed infants. The PCN supports our registered nurse for new infant intakes and provides the following supportive services to the mothers and infants:
- Assistance with resources and referrals in the community (e.g., WIC, SNAP)
- Provider linkage for mother and infants
- Scheduling for follow-up appointment
- Insurance support
The PCN also plays a supportive role to multiple areas of the Special Immunology Services team including PrEP services, research and data entry, telehealth coordination and other community outreach.