EAST LANSING, Mich. — It’s estimated that in the United States there are as many as a quarter-million people who have HIV/AIDS but don’t know it.

With that in mind, Michigan State University physician Peter Gulick, who directs an Ingham County clinic that treats patients living with HIV/AIDS, is expanding the clinic so that it will now serve clients who reside in the central Michigan area.

The Central Michigan District Health Department received Michigan Health Initiative funding of more than $75,000 to offer ambulatory/outpatient HIV medical care, case management and client advocacy services, and direct emergency financial/client assistance.

“The need for such a clinic is great. This is an underserved area,” said Gulick, who also is an associate professor of internal medicine in MSU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine. “I’ve heard there are some people in the mid-Michigan area who don’t want to get tested because they wouldn’t know where to go for care if they tested positive.”

“We have found that access to health care is a huge need for many people, whether it is this or any other health issue,” said Chris Lauckner, director of Health Education Services for the Central Michigan District Health Department.

Gulick and colleagues also received a grant of more than $250,000 from the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act to help fund the project.

The clinic is located in the CMDHD facility in Harrison. The clinic will be in operation one day per month beginning in May.

CMDHD covers six counties: Arenac, Clare, Gladwin, Isabella, Osceola and Roscommon.

“We have several missions,” Gulick said. “We will provide care, do testing, and provide educational opportunities for the health professionals in the area.”

In addition, the new clinic will allow Gulick to expand his HIV/AIDS-related research. In particular, Gulick and his staff will continue a drug-trail project that tests the effectiveness of a number of pharmaceuticals.

“Yes, the people in mid-Michigan will benefit from this,” he said. “Right now we’re looking at a new agent that could possibly prevent the virus from affecting the cell. The drugs we have now only work when the virus is in the cell, but this one could prevent it from getting it.”

HIV testing and treatment is a huge part of what Gulick and his staff do. This is particularly important, he said, because there is such a large number of people who don’t know they carry the virus.

“I would say about 40 percent of the people I see who are newly diagnosed with HIV have had the disease for at least five years,” Gulick said. “And some possibly as long as 10 years. And that is what is scary.”

For additional information about HIV Case Management Services offered by Central Michigan District Health Department, visit the CMDHD’s Web site at www.cmdhd.org.

 

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