By Allison Kozicharow; Edited by Elizabeth Fine
WiRED International announces the launch of a new web page to highlight our three-part training series, “When ARVs Are Gone.”
After the suspension of U.S. global health assistance, WiRED International quickly developed this training series to administer to the needs and suffering of people living with HIV but without antiretrovirals (ARVs). These medicines, costing only pennies a day, allow people — children and adults alike — to live nearly normal lives. These ARVs are no longer available. As a consequence, thousands of people have already died and the number will rapidly rise in the months ahead.
WiRED’s community health workers (CHWs), along with health workers everywhere, were urgently called upon to help people suffering the physical and mental health outcomes of losing these life-sustaining drugs.
To prepare CHWs for the extraordinary challenges ahead — helping to ease the health declines of people deprived of these medicines — WiRED now offers this free and easily accessible training series to health workers globally whether they were trained by WiRED or other organizations. The three modules address both physical and mental health conditions using the limited resources available. The educational tools are available for instant download to mobile phones (see sidebar).
At this point, in addition to the thousands dying from HIV-related illnesses, large numbers are succumbing to other preventable diseases in underserved regions. With the U.S. no longer providing support for medications, the days ahead look bleak for millions. Neither WiRED nor any other NGO or health organization can save these lives without access to the appropriate medicines. WiRED’s aim with this training series is to provide compassionate assistance to people whose lives are being sacrificed for minimal cost savings.
WiRED’s When ARVs Are Gone Series:
This link provides access to the three-module series — for viewing online or downloading to laptops and phones. The modules include:
• HIV/AIDS Symptoms Management
• Providing Mental Health Support for People Living with HIV
• Providing Basic Palliative Care
WiRED’s Distribution of When ARVs Are Gone Series
WiRED’s When ARVs Are Gone Series is available for immediate downloading onto Android or Apple devices by:
- WiRED-trained CHWs to use in their community health work
- All CHWs operating anywhere in the world
- Caretakers anywhere supporting HIV/AIDS victims in low-resource areas.
- Anyone else who is interested in learning about basic caretaking for people suffering from HIV without ARVs
Here is how to access any of WiRED’s modules—in this three-part series and hundreds of other topics:
