NCJ Number
119480
Date Published
1989
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This document provides information on services available to children infected with the HIV virus which causes AIDS.
Abstract
Most HIV-infected children are from low-income and disadvantaged families who have limited access to adequate health care services. As a result, these children and their families rely on public health and social services systems. In some communities, these systems are already overburdened. Consequently, these children are at risk of long and costly hospital stays that tend to reduce the overall quality of life compared to a home environment. In the communities reviewed, foster care, home health care, and support services have been developed or expanded to help reduce the time HIV-infected children spend in the hospital and the resultant health care costs. All communities reported inadequate current capacity to meet the demand for certain services, such as day care, group homes that provide intermediate level care, respite care, mental health counseling, and transportation. Appendix and bibliography.