Echezona Ezenolue, M.D., M.P.H., a University of Nevada School of Medicine assistant professor of pediatrics and infectious disease specialist, received a $1 million Ryan White Title II grant from the State of Nevada to provide a comprehensive program of prevention and care services to HIV positive pregnant women, children and adolescents.

Ezeanolue will direct the program and provide care for infants born to HIV positive mothers and children infected with HIV. His team will consist of Donald Roberts, M.D., a maternal fetal medicine specialist, who will provide prenatal care to HIV positive pregnant women and Caroline Barangan, M.D., an adolescent medicine specialist, will provide care for adolescents at risk/infected with HIV.

"Presently there isn't a comprehensive pediatric program in Nevada to address the needs of children and adolescents with primary and acquired immune deficiency diseases," notes Ezeanolue. Acquired immunodeficiency includes HIV/AIDS, which continues to seriously affect infants in Nevada born to HIV positive mothers.

Infants, children, adolescents, and pregnant women with HIV can benefit from a multidisciplinary team of experts dedicated to HIV treatment to manage their care. The Nevada Care Program is designed to meet this need in the community.

The new program will begin operations in September. For additional information please contact Salome Kapella at (702) 671-2231.

Ryan White is a federally funded program under Title II. Funds are allocated to the States for distribution. The Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act, enacted in 1990 is the centerpiece of the federal government's efforts to improve the quality and availability of care for medically underserved individuals and families affected by HIV/AIDS.

Ryan White was a young man from Kokomo, Indiana died at the age of 19 from an HIV contaminated blood product as part of his treatment for hemophilia.