Capstone Health, the HIV medical clinic within Cobb and Douglas Health, is pleased to announce HIV medical care transitioned to Positive Impact Health Centers on June 1, 2019.  Both organizations shared similar missions as well as a commitment to providing high quality and compassionate HIV medical care to the Atlanta community.  Through their shared vision for Cobb and Douglas’ HIV community, both organizations spent the last year working on a seamless transition for patients and staff. This new partnership will improve the experience of patients, provide more efficient care, expand access, and enhance existing services.

The new partnership will also bring substance abuse treatment, counseling, support groups and other behavioral health programs to patients in Cobb and Douglas counties.

Positive Impact Health Centers provides HIV medical care to over 2,000 of individuals a year, conducts almost 9,000 visits in behavioral health programs, and tests over 6,000 individuals for HIV every year.

Positive Impact Health Centers will continue serving clients at Cobb & Douglas Public Health’s Marietta location. Call 770-514-2464 or visit Positive Impact Health Centers for more information.

More About HIV

HIV is the Human Immunodeficiency Virus that can lead to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, or AIDS.

HIV damages a person’s body by destroying specific blood cells, called CD4+ T cells, which are crucial to helping the body fight diseases.

Within a few weeks of being infected with HIV, some people develop flu-like symptoms that last for a week or two, but others have no symptoms at all. People living with HIV may appear and feel healthy for several years. However, even if they feel healthy, HIV is still affecting their bodies. All people with HIV should be seen on a regular basis by a health care provider experienced with treating HIV infection. Many people with HIV, including those who feel healthy, can benefit greatly from current medications used to treat HIV infection. These medications can limit or slow down the destruction of the immune system, improve the health of people living with HIV, and may reduce their ability to transmit HIV.

Untreated early HIV infection is also associated with many diseases including cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, liver disease, and cancer. Support services are also available to many people with HIV. These services can help people cope with their diagnosis, reduce risk behavior, and find needed services.

AIDS is the late stage of HIV infection, when a person’s immune system is severely damaged and has difficulty fighting diseases and certain cancers. Before the development of certain medications, people with HIV could progress to AIDS in just a few years. Currently, people can live much longer – even decades – with HIV before they develop AIDS. This is because of “highly active” combinations of medications that were introduced in the mid 1990s.

No one should become complacent about HIV and AIDS. While current medications can dramatically improve the health of people living with HIV and slow progression from HIV infection to AIDS, existing treatments need to be taken daily for the rest of a person’s life, need to be carefully monitored, and come with costs and potential side effects. At this time, there is no cure for HIV infection. Despite major advances in diagnosing and treating HIV infection, in 2007, 35,962 cases of AIDS were diagnosed and 14,110 deaths among people living with HIV were reported in the United States.

For more information on HIV/AIDS, please visit one of the following websites:

TITLE VI

It is our policy to ensure that no person in the United States of American shall on the grounds of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination under any of our programs and activities.

Cobb & Douglas Public Health hereby gives public notice that it is the policy of all departments to assure full compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964, the Civil Rights Act of 1987 and related statutes and regulations in all programs and activities.