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By Ronald Bugarin In these changing times, medical consultations are more critical than ever. When mobility is limited, you’re far away, or when you just can’t fit a doctor’s appointment with your busy schedule, LoveYourself has come up with an innovative service. Interactive Consultation (iCON) lets clients enrolled for HIV treatment in our community centers consult with their treatment doctor right at the comforts of their home. To avail of this service, clients can sign-up via the iCON sign-up link or through the Booking site by clicking their preferred treatment doctor, date and time of consultation.  Other personal information shall be required as well as a self assessment if client is possibly exposed to COVID before appointment can be booked. Treatment staff of our community centers shall then reach out to the client with a phone call on their appointment date and time to confirm their request for doctor's consultation as well as the mode of online consultation (e.g. via ...

By Ronald Bugarin (From ART First Dose Chronicles, Illustration by TJ Gellada Monzon) For newly diagnosed Persons Living with HIV (PLHIV), among their top concerns are the possible side effects that might come once they start treatment. These side effects may have an impact on their way of life, especially at work and their studies. In this article, we will try to tackle the different antiretroviral (ARV) drugs, their possible side effects, and how to handle these side effects so as not to affect the PLHIVs way of life. Antiviral Drugs Antiretroviral or ARV is an inhibitor drug that blocks HIV from attaching to cells of immunity specifically the CD4 cell (also known as T-cell or T helper cells) and prevents it from multiplying. It has to be taken daily to suppress HIV and prevent the decline of the body's natural defense caused by the virus . Below are the various ARV drugs and the possible side effects that may occur upon taking said component: ARV DRUG FOR MONITORING SIDE EFF...

By Edgar Bagasol Jr. and John Oliver Corciega To support iCON and SelfCare, LoveYourself also introduced the acXess program to ensure the continuum of care, especially among clients who obtain reactive HIVST results. Services covered include confirmatory HIV testing, viral load, and CD4 testing, and Hepatitis B, syphilis, and CBC diagnostic services. Designed to address mobility issues amid quarantine measures, acXess works in two ways: first, as a mobile laboratory where a medical technologist comes to provide testing and diagnostic services at the client’s own home; or second, as a client transport provider to pick up and drop off clients from their residence and take them to a LoveYourself facility for onsite testing and ARV initiation. To date, 22 reactive SelfCare clients have been scheduled for acXess services. LoveYourself staff ensuring proper management of data for pioneer programs Photo by Edgar Bagasol Jr. Taking advantage of the public’s increased online presence and activi...

By Edgar Bagasol Jr. and John Oliver Corciega Access to a healthcare professional is another need expressed by LoveYourself’s PLHIV clients. This has become challenging with COVID, primarily because they are concerned about their susceptibility to COVID-19 if they go out, due to their immunocompromised status. While there is still no evidence to prove that they have an indeed greater risk of acquiring COVID-19, the World Health Organization (WHO) still advises PLHIVs, especially “those with advanced diseases, those with low CD4 and high viral load, and those who are not taking ARV” to take extra precaution. LoveYourself staff coordinating schedules for iCON Photo by Edgar Bagasol Jr. To respond to this expressed gap, LoveYourself launched its telehealth program called iCON, short for “interactive consultation” ( go.loveyourself.ph/iCON ), where PLHIV clients on treatment can consult with a healthcare professional via social media or other digital platforms. Besides giving clients the o...

By Edgar Bagasol Jr. and John Oliver Corciega Reduced mobility and stringent community quarantine measures in the face of COVID-19 pose a major challenge for HIV health service providers and facilities, including LoveYourself. Roughly 6,000 PLHIV clients rely on the organization for uninterrupted access to life-saving medication and other HIV services.  Delivery rider for pioneer programs Xpress, iCON, and SelfCare Photo by Edgar Bagasol Jr. LoveYourself, a community of HIV advocates in the Philippines, continues community center operations and pioneers programs such as Xpress, iCON, and SelfCare, despite challenges brought about by the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic. “The pandemic affected our mobility. Everything was unprecedented,” says Danvic Rosadiño, LoveYourself’s Senior Operations Manager, with regard to the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) that the Philippine government imposed to curb the spread of COVID-19. For people living with HIV (PLHIV), the continuous su...