MEDICAL TREATMENT AND CARE OF PATIENTS

The Camillian Social Center (CSC) has a campus sufficient to provide housing, medical treatment and counseling for about 60 AIDS patients. For children at the CSC born HIV positive, required medical services are provided by Doctors and Nurses who regularly visit the Center. Other medical and support staff at the CSC responsible for general diagnosis, treatment, care and counseling services receive additional professional training and development.

The CSC has developed curative and preventive educational activities designed to encourage a high level of interaction between patients, medical practitioners and social workers. These activities have also helped patients gain a better understanding of their situation, enabling them to better focus on their personal talents and skills. Special activities are designed for the patients to help them regain a sense of dignity and improve their quality of life. These skill-oriented activities often can double as income generating activities such as basket weaving, making greeting cards, embroidery and other handy crafts.

Primary and secondary school is provided for the patients and their children in order to instill a sense of normal family life. There are currently 31 outpatient children at the Center in ages ranging from 4 to 14 years.

The Camillian Social Center has a number of assistants who provide regular laundry, cooking, maintenance and gardening services. They also attend to the needs of the patients on a 24hr basis. Some HIV+ patients at the CSC that take care of many of their own domestic chores and at times even assist other full blown AIDS patients with special loving care and personal attention. Back To The Top

Public Education and Training

The Center carries out culturally appropriate public education and training activities to promoting self-awareness, self-esteem, and a sense of personal social responsibility. The training is targeted in two main directions. The first is to educate the potentially vulnerable populations of young students and factory workers in the area. The second consists of "Train the Trainer" training for both Government and Non-Governmental staff in order to send them out in the community as educators. The training sessions provide background information on sex, interpersonal communication, the biology of the HIV/AIDS virus and a general understanding of the ways the HIV/AIDS virus can and cannot be spread. The intention of the training, discussions and role playing is to combat the further spread of the AIDS epidemic through prevention by increasing the knowledge and understanding of the virus. The training also aims to develop additional sympathy and support within the community in the hope that HIV/AIDS patients will receive better treatment within Thai society. The training enables participants to begin organizing and consolidating other self help & community efforts in order to solve problems related to the disease. Back To The Top

Safeguarding Human Rights and Outreach Community Support

Living with AIDS is stressful. Infected people face constant discrimination threat from the community all the while they are fighting with the disease for their very lives. Many are denied even basic medical treatment, housing and education for their children once their HIV status is known. Others are forced to live and work in very hostile environments. The CSC provides psychological support and services for education and counseling to help maintain the positive attitudes among the patients and their families. The Center often supports patients until they can fully recover and become strong enough to return to their normal activities. Patients are provided with additional knowledge and skills to protect themselves while being sensitive to others feelings towards the disease. Many HIV/AIDS patients come seeking assistance in defense of their basic human rights under the Thai Human Rights Protection Act. The CSC helps defend the legal rights of the patients to safeguarding their human rights. This often involves networking with other NGOs on legal support issues.

Approximately seven times per month, the CSC staff goes in teams to provide seminars and educational workshops to various schools and industries within the area. They also visits patients at their homes( both in rural and urban areas ) to provide counseling and support to the patient and their families. These outreach visits often locate needy AIDS patients and help the Center learn more about their actual needs and background.

The Center has developed, organized, and coordinated efforts to help AIDS patients and provide educational and counseling services to families and communities. It has also actively searches for financial assistance which vital to the sustaining services provided by the Center.

Furthermore, the Center has adopted dynamic methods in solving AIDS problems in order to come up with the best techniques to match the fast changing environment. One of these methods which goes through various phases is to identify the needs of individual patients. The Camillian Center provides help to needy people without discrimination and is always ready to welcome and help other people who are in the same situation as those already in the Center.

The CSC has been able to cover its basic operating costs and build a major part of the Center's infrastructure within the last four years through the generous donations of it's supporters. New sources of funding will be critical to insure the continued success of these programs for providing help, care, support, and compassion to the HIV/AIDS communities.

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