Brown & Toland Medical Group will partner with UCSF's HIV/ AIDS program on Friday, October 15 to highlight HIV specialty care and provide testing free of charge to the public.

The picnic and health awareness fair is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. at the Pioneer Cabin picnic area in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, near Stowe Lake. Brown & Toland will provide free blood pressure readings, while other sponsors will conduct HIV and STD testing.

With an HIV Management Program that stays at the forefront of new medications, technology, and treatments, Brown & Toland has achieved one of the Bay Area's most impressive track records in HIV care. Success is measured by low emergency room and hospital utilization, better medication management, and high patient and physician satisfaction.

Since 1998, the Brown & Toland Medical Group HIV Management Program has been helping members diagnosed with HIV. It currently services about 2,500 members and is led by an HIV expert advisory board that includes Dr. Stan Padilla, Dr. Malcolm John and Dr. Stephen Becker. There are about 27 HIV experts in the medical group, and over 90 percent of the HIV expert panel uses the services provided by clinical specialists, Yoko Tsukamoto, FNP, MPH, and Michelle Kuppich, RD. The Brown & Toland program provides tailored care, creating an action plan and medical recommendations to manage the care of each patient. Interventions may include any of the following:

• Education about HIV therapies and managing medication-related side effects;
• Evaluation of diet to assist in management of weight loss, weight gain, high cholesterol, diabetes, and diarrhea, among other HIV related problems;
• Performance of body composition testing and evaluation of therapies for HIV wasting;
• Case management -- coordinating appropriate referrals and care, assisting with benefits and coordination of services;
• Assisting with end-of-life care; and
• Home visits

"With a dynamic healthcare system often comes fragmented care, resulting in poor patient outcomes," said Linda Dorety, Brown & Toland Director, Medical Services. "But with coordinated care, excellent clinical expertise, innovation, HIV Expert Physician leadership, and a commitment to quality, the Brown & Toland HIV Management Program has thrived in the past few years."

For more information about the picnic and fair on Friday, October 15, call 415.353.3498.