Southern Alberta HIV Clinic

Information for Patients

Booking Process

Initial Referral

Phone: (403) 955-6399
Fax: (403) 955-6355

Patients are typically referred to the Southern Alberta Clinic by their family physician immediately after an HIV test has been returned positive. A small number of patients with known HIV infection will self-refer when they have moved to southern Alberta from elsewhere.

We always confirm documentation of HIV infection at the time of the referral since the clinic does not provide service for HIV-negative persons.

The clinic does not undertake routine testing of the general public for HIV infection as this can be done by their physician or through the STD Clinic. For more information on where you can receive an HIV test see HIV Testing Sites.

If you are a physician and would like to refer a patient to the Southern Alberta Clinic, please see Southern Alberta Clinic Referral Process.

Pre-Assessment & Medical Visits

The pre-assessment and the initial medical visit are scheduled by the clerical staff. All subsequent follow-up appointments are best booked by the patient prior to leaving the clinic. For more information see Medical Visits and Disease Management Plan.

Social Work

It is recommended that each patient schedules a visit with a clinic social worker. This will allow you to meet one of our social workers to get information regarding their function at the clinic and how you can best put their knowledge to work for you. These appointments are scheduled for one hour. For more information see Social Work.

Pharmacy

Appointments with the clinical pharmacist are automatically scheduled in conjunction with clinic medical visits. If needed, additional appointments can be made through the pharmacy Monday to Friday. If a supply of medication is required at that time, a two-day notice is appreciated. For more information see Drug Information.

Nutrition

The clinic nutritionist is available for appointments on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Initial visits are approximately one hour long and follow-up visits are 30 minutes. The nutritionist can give you advice on how to change your eating habits to get the best nutritional value. This will enable you to keep your body and muscle mass and enable you to be active longer. For more information see Nutrition Services.

Nursing

Appointments can be scheduled with the nursing staff to review blood work results, review chart information, and administer any treatments that need to be scheduled. The length of these appointments will depend on how long you wish to speak with the nurses. Treatments are scheduled according the amount of time necessary to complete them.

Blood Work

Routine blood work should ideally be done two weeks prior to your appointment. You will need to pick up lab requisition forms from the clinic. Please call the clinic at least 24 hours before you plan to pick up the forms. Once you collect your forms you can take them to the lab that is located on the same floor in the Sheldon M. Chumir Health Centre. Alternatively, you can visit the lab at the Foothills Medical Centre or Peter Lougheed Centre. For more information see Lab and Blood Work.

Clinic Policy: Missed Appointments