Division of Infectious Diseases

As December, and our HIV awareness posts come to an end, we want to celebrate one of Nebraska Medicine’s partners that works closely with our Specialty Care Center to provide HIV care, and creates inclusive and safe spaces for diverse communities across Nebraska.

The Nebraska AIDS Project (NAP) is a non-profit organization established in 1984 in response to the early AIDS crisis when less was known about HIV and AIDS and there were fewer treatment options. NAP serves the entire state of Nebraska with offices in Omaha, Lincoln, Norfolk, Kearney, and Scottsbluff, reaching approximately 350-400 people living with HIV at any given time in Case Management and Supportive Services (social support, financial assistance, linkage to care and treatment). NAP also provides free and confidential testing across the state of Nebraska, performing approximately 2,000 tests annually and provides free access to condoms and safe sex counseling.

On Saturday December 2, 2017, the Nebraska AIDS Project put on a gala with a mission: The Night of a Thousand Stars.  This is an annual event targeted to raise around $100k to support the programs of the Nebraska AIDS Project. The Stars gala has raised over two million dollars since the fundraiser began in 1998, and on December 2, in 2017, they raised $86,000 for their programs.

Every year NAP recognizes individuals in the community who have publicly demonstrated dedication to serving the community. This year’s Shining Star Award Winners at Stars were Brenda Council and Dr. Jay Irwin and the honorary chair was State Senator Adam Morfeld.

• Brenda Council was on the original NAP board, and has served on the Omaha Public School Board, on the Omaha City Council, in the Nebraska Legislature, and nearly became the mayor of Omaha TWICE in 1994 and then again in 1997, losing by a narrow margin both times. More recently, she drives the Adolescent Health Project (AHP) effort for Douglas County and she continues to perform public service in a number of different ways, most passionately linked to reducing unplanned and/or unwanted teen pregnancies. Her role as the AHP Program Director enables her to work on teen pregnancy AND reduction of STI’s among young adults as well.
• Jay Irwin is a well-respected community member who represents inclusion of all types of identities within his primary role as a professor at UNO, but also as an elected member to Ralston’s Public School board. Jay has a unique tie to an audience of young folx in our community (“folx” is a term that refers to a generic group but with intentional inclusion of non-binary people, similar to “Latinx”).  Young folx are a demographic targeted by NAP for education/testing services and NAP embraces the active voices in the community that speak to this audience. Jay was the first openly-trans man to be elected to a publicly held office in the state of Nebraska (elected to RPS school board in 2016) and is also a part of the Midlands Sexual Health Research Collaborative.
• State Senator Adam Morfeld was this year’s Night of a Thousand Stars honorary chair– similarly selected by overall values and initiatives that are in line with the NAP mission, Adam is continually pushing social justice issues in the unicam and is the acting Executive Director of Nebraskans for Civic Reform (NCR).

Nebraska AIDS project would like to thank Nebraska Medicine, one of the Night Under The Stars’ Gold sponsors, and all sponsors who contributed to making this event a success.

Content provided by London Woolman, Interim Executive Director, Nebraska AIDS Project

Faculty and Staff of the UNMC/Nebraska Medicine Specialty Care Center at the Night of A Thousand Stars Gala Event on December 2, 2017

Photo courtesy Justin Barnes and Nebraska AIDS Project

Preparing for my 4-week advanced pharmacy practice experience at the Nebraska Medicine Specialty Care Clinic was slightly nerve-wracking if I am honest. In the days leading up to my start, trepidation creeped in as I considered the unknown of the experience. “What if I say something wrong?” “Will it sound false if I am trying to relate?” “I want to ensure they receive the best care- even from a student.” These were just some of the thoughts I had running through my head. Thanks to my didactic education I felt confident my clinical knowledge would be up to the challenge of the rotation, but could I say that my patient care skills were equally ready? If I had to say at the time, maybe they were not as ready, but those questions of concern should not have been any different for this rotation than any other. Yes, this was a new patient population for me, and yes, I was new to them, but beyond that, my rotation at SCC still required the same care and approach as each one before it. In the end, my trepidation was minimized with some of my first patient interactions.

As a pharmacy student, my usual focus is on the safety and appropriateness of each medication prescribed. However, at SCC, each patient encounter goes beyond that. Each opportunity to interview, counsel, or make recommendations for a patient is an opportunity to learn about their experience, management of their diagnosis, and even trepidations about their diagnosis or regimen. Because for an HIV-infected patient, their diagnosis is only one portion of their life and as unique as the person themselves. They can be an individual who has managed their HIV for decades and seen the changes in treatment firsthand or another who is newly diagnosed, undertaking the beginning of their treatment, and still unsure of what to ask. It is because of their individuality as patients that I developed more as a care provider with each clinic day. I was continually amazed by each patient’s willingness to keep an open dialogue and provide me, the student, with their perspective at the visit. It required patience and practice to adapt each care plan for the patient. I am confident I did not always hit every point, and once or twice, quote, “stepped in it” with my approach, but those were the days when I learned the most. In fact, so many of my experiences at the clinic ended up with my learning more from the patient than I had set out to share with them when I walked in the room.

And at the Nebraska Medicine Specialty Care Clinic, the staff is truly focused on complete care for each patient. It is not simply about keeping viral loads undetectable and CD4 counts high, but ensuring the continued health of their patients – both their physical and mental well-being is maintained and working as a team to do so. Every patient’s care is managed from multiple angles thanks to the providers, nurses, pharmacists, clinic coordinators, social workers, and ancillary staff. No patient is the same and the staff’s continued effort to maintain this perspective is exceptional. Even on days when the patient load is high and the hours are long, no one is forgotten or minimized. Care is provided until the last patient walks out the door. It is inspiring for students who are just beginning their careers to see such dedication and commitment to this patient population.

On my last day at SCC, I saw one of my patients from the first week of my rotation. A seasoned patient who had years of experience managing his diagnosis, but still some struggles along the way. I felt so honored to have been another contributor to maintaining his care at SCC. I had only a small role in his care, but the opportunity to hear his story, join in his management, and make a difference in his health was a satisfying culmination to four weeks of learning.

Content courtesy Lauren E Pohren, UNMC PharmD Candidate 2018