How to properly communicate with HIV patients
Dr. Sharmayne Saunders
There is an abundance of information on how to prevent HIV and for persons already infected, how to cope and take care of themselves. While a key area is counseling, the fact is that Belize has a shortage of trained counselors, which is why WinBelize has collaborated with PAHO and the University of the West Indies Open Campus Belize to have an introductory course for caregivers and volunteers. It brings together the people that work closest with persons infected or affected with the disease to teach them how to better communicate. Dr. Sharmayne Saunders tells us what they are hoping to achieve.
Dr. Sharmayne Saunders, Prog. Officer/Site Coord., UWI Open Campus
“The aim of the course is to provide counseling for persons infected and affected with HIV/AIDS and we’re currently looking at the individuals who are currently providing caregiver service to these individuals and also people who are volunteering in the area.
Delahnie Bain
“Why was this something that they needed?”
Dr. Sharmayne Saunders
I believe that with the collaboration between WinBelize and PAHO, it is identified as an area that needed some type of expertise and we realized too that we do not have enough trained counselors. Our facilitator, a UWI facilitator is actually a trained counselor and as such we don’t have much trained counselor. So she has been doing introductory counseling and advanced counseling here at the University of Belize, so we believe that she had enough qualification to impart this type of knowledge to persons in this area.
Delahnie Bain
“And who do you have participating in the training?”
Dr. Sharmayne Saunders
Well currently, the training has been extended to the NGOs, the government as well because the Ministry of Health, we do have VCT Centers. In addition, we have extended it to volunteers but there are still vacant positions for our Saturday session which starts this Saturday. Basically for you to get into the course, the course is basically free; it is funded by PAHO. You simply have to pay twenty-five dollars registration and I believe WinBelize is also handling this with a processing fee of thirty-five so it works out to about sixty dollars.”
Interested persons contact the University of Belize or WinBelize offices to get involved in the counseling course.
