HIV/AIDS Pediatric Residency Program Purpose & Benefit

Children's Hospital Pediatric HIV/AIDS Program (PHAP) was founded in 1986 by Dr. Ann Petru and has continuously served HIV-infected and affected children in the Bay Area and Northern and Central California.

Program Purpose:

1. To eliminate perinatal (mother-to-child) transmission of HIV in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties through collaborative efforts with adult care providers, psycho-social services for HIV-infected pregnant women and monitoring and treatment of HIV-exposed infants.
   
   
2. To enhance the well-being of HIV-infected infants, children and adolescents through comprehensive medical, nursing and psychosocial care.
   
   
3. To provide HIV education, preventive medications and counseling for child victims of sexual assault.

Demographics

The Pediatric HIV/AIDS Program serves children and youth ranging in age from newborn infants through 21 years. As of 06/2010 we are caring for 70HIV-infected children and 35-45 HIV-exposed infants. Ninety percent of our patients are MediCal eligible and low-income. Children come to PHAP primarily from Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, San Joaquin, and Solano counties. The ethnic representation of PHAP patients is 57% African-American, 20% White, 17% Hispanic/Latino, 3% Asian/Pacific Islander and 3% other.

Pediatric HIV/AIDS Education

In addition to our main purposes, we also provide professional education on pediatric HIV/AIDS to physicians, nurses, and other health care workers in our community and to the general public and recreational activities and holiday programs for patients and families.

Accomplishments

• Between 2005 and 2010, none of the 135 newborn infants referred to and evaluated in our Clinic for exposure to HIV were infected with HIV thanks to aggressive care for their mothers, collaboration with preinatal providers in the community and the ongoing care and support they received in our Hope Clinic.
  
  
• Among our infected patients, over two-thirds of those currently in care have “normal” immune function, with CD4 counts over 500, and 75% have undetectable blood levels of HIV (called “viral load”), which reflects both strong immune system functioning and adherence to treatment regimens.
  
  
• In the past ten years, 25 of our perinatally-infected teens have “graduated” from (aged out of) our program and transitioned to young adult-focused HIV care in the community.
  
  
• No child in our care has died since January 2005.