Last week someone called my office and said he was afraid he’d been exposed to HIV and asked if we could help with the cost of HIV Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP), medication to prevent HIV infection after exposure and costing about $3,000 for the one-month supply needed. This person had gotten drunk and had unprotected sex with a person he felt was at high risk for HIV. He had gone to the emergency room to get a prescription for antiretroviral medications, the medications used for PEP. He had the prescription, but he had no insurance. The answer I had to give […]
Who Knew? National Condom Month
No one ever told me. I’m 61 years old and have been a certified HIV/AIDS nurse for the past ten years and never knew February was National Condom Month. I feel so left out and clueless. So in honor of the month, I decided to get up to snuff and to bring you a little condom trivia. Turns out, there are many meaty little tidbits about condoms. Here goes.
I’ve Fallen and I Can’t Get Up
In the past couple of years, several people I know have had very bad falls that resulted in severe injuries. One fall happened to a life-long hiker/climber while walking across snow-covered grass, and resulted in a compound fracture that required surgery, hardware, physical therapy, and kept him out of work for over four months. It doesn’t take much. One false move and your life can take a serious turn with consequences that can last the rest of your life.
Gray Days, Dark Moods
January and February… could there be any more dismal time of year? Summer is long gone as well as Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Day-in and day-out the landscape is monochrome gray. Yuck.
The Obesity Epidemic-Second to None
I am among the third of all Americans who are obese. Another third of Americans are overweight but not obese, and only one-third of Americans fall into the normal weight category. Obesity is an epidemic in America second to none. So keep reading because I’m not alone, and this will pertain specifically to two out of three of you.
Home for the Holidays
Somewhere, someone out there is wrestling with what going home for the holidays means for them now that they have come “out” and everything has changed. Have you ever returned home after being away for a long trip and thought just how good it was to be home? That’s what I want to talk about.
World AIDS Day: As Relevant As Ever
It’s hard to believe that we are in the 34th year of the HIV / AIDS epidemic and that this epidemic is still on target to become the deadliest epidemic in recorded history. It’s also hard to believe that I’ve had the privilege of working in this field for 12 years now. I went into nursing as a third career; I was in my 40s. When I started my nursing education, I fully intended to be a labor and delivery nurse, and then one day everything changed. It was early August of 1992; it was the day I learned that […]
Every 19 Seconds
November: ahh… crisp days, fall leaves, turkey, gravy, sweet potato casserole, mom’s pumpkin pie, and everyone gathered at the table – what could be better? If you’re like me, you are counting down the days, minutes, and seconds to Thanksgiving. Speaking of seconds (pun definitely intended) and pigging out, did you know that every 19 seconds, someone in the U.S. is diagnosed with diabetes? That’s why November is also Diabetes Awareness Month. According to the American Diabetes Association, about 30 million Americans – or one in ten – currently have a diabetes diagnosis. That’s bad enough, but the really scary […]
On Being a Quitter
No one likes to be called a quitter… well with one exception that is… and that’s when quitting smoking. Get ready for the 2015 Great American Smokeout on November 19th. This could be your year! You can be a quitter too! Okay, just so you don’t think I’m just preachin’ like a “never smoked a day in her life public health nurse,” I have smoked, and I was lucky enough to kick the habit 12 years ago. According the American Cancer Society, I’ve now cut my risk of lung cancer in half compared to someone still smoking, and I’m on […]
Sampson Headlines Frederick Pride 2015 at the June 27 Event
The Frederick Center is proud to announce the return of Sampson McCormick as the official master of ceremonies for Frederick Pride 2015, taking place on June 27 in the Carroll Creek Linear Park in the heart of downtown Frederick. Sampson delivered a full day of laughter and energy two years ago at Frederick Pride 2013, and the Pride Planning Committee is thrilled to bring his humor and mischief to this year’s creek-side celebration.