As death toll from HIV/AIDS wanes, new models for primary care emerge from decades of HIV experience

When celebrated author and alternative medicine advocate Deepak Chopra visited Palm Springs in early February, he had an epiphany. Invited to be a featured speaker in the Palm Springs Speaks lecture series, he visited Desert AIDS Project before his event that evening. While touring the campus Chopra realized he was seeing the real-life manifestation of what he’d been advocating for decades.

High levels of inflammation also are a factor in recurrent sexually transmitted inflections like syphilis, according to Lichtenstein. Six months to a year ago, Eisenhower Health started a sexual health clinic that addresses STIs; HIV prevention through pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV-negative people engaged in high-risk sexual practices; and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) treatment as prevention for HIV-positive who engage in high-risk sex. The latter are asked to visit the clinic every three months.

Eisenhower has made a concerted effort to serve the whole person in other ways, including the recent addition of psychiatrist Dr. John Roberts. Bringing in a social worker and dermatological and urological services also are being considered, Lichtenstein said. And there are plans to attach a pharmacy to the Rimrock facility for patients’ convenience.

“We’d like to have a nationally recognized HIV program,” Lichtenstein said. “Part of it has to do with having a lot of additional things.”

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During the Canada Post strike announced September 25, 2025, the following measures will be undertaken to minimize service disruption to BC-CfE clients and providers.

  • The BC-CfE Laboratory has transitioned to private courier for delivery of outgoing reports and documents. Results required urgently can be faxed upon request. (Lab Contact Information: Phone 604-806-8775; FAX 604-806-9463)
  • The BC-CfE Drug Treatment Program (DTP) will fax outgoing forms and documents to the provider’s office. (DTP Contact Information: Phone 604-806-8515; FAX 604-806-9044)
  • St. Paul’s Hospital Ambulatory Pharmacy has transitioned to private courier for delivery of medications. We recommend requesting medication at least 2 weeks in advance in case of delivery delays, particularly to rural/remote parts of BC. (Contact Information: Phone 1-800-547-3622; FAX 604-806-8675)

During the Canada Post strike, we recommend that documents be faxed or couriered to our sites, versus utilization of regular mail service

The BC-CfE Laboratory is streamlining reporting processes for certain tests in order to simplify distribution and record-keeping, and to ensure completeness of results. Beginning September 2, 2025, results for the ‘Resistance Analysis of HIV-1 Protease and Reverse Transcriptase’ (Protease-RT) and ‘HIV-1 Integrase Resistance Genotype’ tests will be combined into a single ‘HIV-1 Resistance Genotype Report’.
For more details and example reports, please click on the button below