USA. Florida is the epicenter of the nation's HIV and opioid crises. This doctor is battling to stop the virus and winning.
USA. Florida is the epicenter of the nation's HIV and opioid crises. This doctor is battling to stop the virus and winning.
(…) In less than 20 months, Tookes’ hybrid needle exchange telehealth and HIV medication outreach program has become the most successful HIV suppression campaign in the nation. Of the 35 patients treated as part of the pilot, 78.1% were undetectable within six months, which means patients cannot transmit the virus to others and the virus does not appear in routine bloodwork.
The pilot will soon be expanded to 240 people receiving similar treatment.
Part of the program's innovation is that it offers unhoused people the option of connecting with Tookes through iPads anywhere in the city and having medicines delivered. Tookes’ patients are mostly people of color and people experiencing homelessness, two groups that suffer from disproportionately high rates of drug use and HIV. (USA Today, USA, 15.11.2021)
https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/11/15/hiv-transmission-doctors-mission-his-unique-plan-pays-off/6238356001/