Healthcare providers and educators can learn more about STD, HIV and TB trends as well as resources and treatment guidelines at one of two conferences that the Department of Health’s STD/HIV/TB program will host with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The daylong conference, entitled “Management in Patients,” will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 9, at the Renaissance Carambola Hotel on St. Croix. It also will be held on Friday, Feb. 11, at the Frenchman’s Reef and Morning Start Marriott Resort on St. Thomas. It is the second year that the Department of Health has hosted a conference on STD and HIV trends with the CDC’s STD/HIV Prevention Training Center, Region II.
Gritell Martinez, STD/HIV/TB director, said that this year’s agenda will include discussions/presentations on tuberculosis in the Virgin Islands among different populations at risk. Other agenda topics include:
- New STD screening strategies and CDC treatment recommendations
- Recent trends in the epidemiology of common sexually transmitted infections
- Improved skills in risk reduction counseling
- Improved skills in discussing sexual health topics with adolescents
- The pathophysiology and treatment for patients co-infected with TB and HIV
Attendance is free and CME, CNE and CEU credits will be provided at no cost for participants who attend the conference for the full day. Participants can register for half-day sessions, but credits are not available. Online registration is open at www.nycptc.org/upcoming_classes.html. For more information, call Rita Olans, NP, at 773-1311, ext. 3142 or e-mail rita.olans@usvi-doh.org.
Commissioner Sheen said that the STD/HIV/TB clinics will be closed on Feb. 9 and 11, when the conferences will be held, and regrets any inconvenience to clients. Provisions have been made for clients to seek emergency room care as necessary.
