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Oak Tree Clinic Services
The Oak Tree Clinic:
- provides specialized care for the women and children living with HIV/AIDS in British B.C.
improves access to care, and provision of optimal woman and child friendly care in a safe environment.
- educates patients and their families, other health care workers, organizations and institutions, and the public about the complex issues of HIV infection in women and children.
- advocates for improved prevention, diagnosis, care and support.
- contributes to clinically oriented research, and improving access to clinical trials and other research for women and children.
Referral to the Clinic
The clinic accepts referrals from physicians, other healthcare professionals, community agencies and support workers. Self-referral is also possible. Our mandate is to care for women or children with HIV residing in B.C. Infected partners or family members may also receive care at the clinic.
Please call our receptionist at (604) 875-2212 to make an appointment. You will be asked for some basic background information about your medical history and condition when you/your health care worker or support person calls.
Child Care and Comforts
Our clinic offers limited child supervision while you are in with the doctor or other team members. We also have nutritional snacks and refreshments available during clinic times.
Your First Visit
Please remember to bring:
- Your BC Care Card
- Your current address and phone number(s)
- A phone number of someone we can contact in case of an emergency
- Any letters, reports of tests or x-rays that your family doctor asked you to bring to the clinic
- A list of the medicines you are taking now
- Name and address of your family doctor (if available)and immunization records (if available)
Our receptionist will ask you fill out some paperwork. The clinic nurse will tell you about our services and help coordinate your visit.
You will see the HIV specialist doctor who will review your medical history and current medical concerns, and help you develop a care plan.
We will invite you to meet some of the other team members (nurse, social worker, pharmacist, and dietitian) to further discuss specific parts of your care plan.
The Oak Tree Clinic is a teaching facility for the University of British Columbia. Often members of the team will be accompanied by health care professionals trying to learn more about the care of HIV positive women and children. You will be asked if you are comfortable having a student or resident sit in on your visit. If you are not comfortable, simply let us know and we will respect your wishes in that regard.
We realize the first visit to our Clinic is often overwhelming. We will ask a lot of questions and we will start to answer some of your questions and concerns. Often it takes around two to three hours to complete this first visit. Your following visits usually require less time.
Why do you need to go to the lab for blood work?
We will ask you to go to the lab for blood tests regularly. These blood tests are very important. They check your immune function (CD4 count), the level of HIV (viral load) in your blood, and how well your kidneys, liver, and bone marrow are working. We will explain the reasons for the tests and discuss the results during your clinic visit.
On your first clinic visit, we will draw more blood from you than we will need on most following visits because we will want to be certain of your Hepatitis A, B, and C status, check some hormone levels, and assess your nutritional status.
It is especially important that you continue to get your blood work done regularly while you are taking HIV medications. The blood tests let us know whether the medicines are working properly and if they are causing side effects. We will ask you to get your blood work done before your medications are refilled.
Sometimes you might be asked for fasting blood work. This means that you must not eat or drink anything after midnight the night before you go to the lab. You may drink only a small amount of water in the morning. You may take your morning medicines with a small amount of water, but nothing else. Fasting blood work is used to check your blood sugar, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels.
Adults can have routine blood work done either on the day of the clinic appointment or even better, two weeks before. If your blood work is done before your appointment, you can discuss your results with the doctor and other team members at your clinic visit.
Children must have all blood work done immediately at the on site lab before your clinic visit.
The hospital lab is on the second floor near the entrance to BC Women's Health Centre. It is open from: 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. You do not need an appointment for blood work at the lab.
For adults, there may be a lab close to home that you can use for certain lab tests. The doctor or nurse will help you decide the best place to get your blood work.
What can you expect on follow up visits?
Please check in with our receptionist when you arrive in the clinic. Our clinic aide will take your weight, temperature, and height (for the kids), and let the nurse and other staff know you have arrived.
We would like you to see the different members of the team. Please be patient with us as there may be some delays in seeing the team members. We would like everyone on HIV medications to see the pharmacist during each clinic visit and the dietitian at least every six months.
The dietician will take your body composition measurements once or twice a year. These measurements help us assess and monitor any changes in your lean body mass.
A doctor will see you during each visit unless you have a special appointment to see a specific team member (e.g., the dietitian, social worker or pharmacist).
How often will you have to come back to the clinic?
We will ask you to visit the clinic depending on your medical, social and nutritional condition and needs. For example, we may ask you to come more often when you start new HIV medications, require extra blood work monitoring, are pregnant or have a newborn baby. When things are more stable, we may ask you to return to the Clinic every two to three months.
Hospitalization or Emergency Services
Unfortunately, there may be times when you or someone you care for needs to be admitted to a hospital. Remember to tell the doctor at the hospital that you receive HIV care at the Oak Tree Clinic and ask them to call for more information about you. Also, bring all your medications to the hospital because not all hospitals stock HIV medicines. This will ensure you have your medicines while you are in hospital. Your Family DoctorIt is important for our team to keep in contact with your family doctor. With your permission, our clinic will send a letter to your family doctor after each clinic visit to keep him or her up to date about your progress and care plan.
Your Family Doctor
It is important for your team to keep in contact with your family doctor. With your permission, our clinic will send a letter to your family doctor after each clinic visit to keep him or her up to date about your progress and care plan.
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