HIV POSITIVE Women & Children

How to Get The Support Your
Family Needs

A person or family with HIV may need many kinds of support. Your child's health care provider and your local health and social services departments can assist you in finding the help you need. Help may include someone to:

  • Answer your questions about HIV and AIDS.
  • Help you find health care providers and make health care decisions.
  • Provide transportation to and from health care appointments.
  • Assist in planning ways to meet financial and daily needs.
  • Arrange home nursing care or rehabilitation services.
  • Refer you and your loved ones to support groups.
  • Represent your family in legal matters.

Sometimes it helps to talk with others who also have HIV or a child with HIV. Here are some ways of finding them:

  • Read HIV newsletters.
  • Join a support group for friends and family.
  • Volunteer to help others.
  • Attend social events to meet other families living with HIV.



Additional Resources

  • You can get information from your local health department about HIV, including where to get tested for the virus and the kinds of services available to your child and your family.
  • Your local or state medical society can help you find a doctor.
  • Your library may have information that you can share with your child. Ask your librarian if there is a special directory that lists groups for families whose children have HIV.
  • Some hospitals and churches offer programs and support groups.

National hotlines and information clearinghouses can send you free publications and give you the latest news about drug-testing and clinical trials. Here are some telephone numbers to help you get the information you need:




General Information

    National AIDS Hotline

    English . . . . . . . . .(800) 342-AIDS (2437)
    Spanish . . . . . . . . .(800) 344-SIDA (7432)

    TDD Service for the Deaf
    (800) 243-7889

    National AIDS Clearinghouse
    (800) 458-5231




HIV/AIDS Treatment Information

    American Foundation for AIDS Research
    (800) 39AMFAR (392-6327)

    AIDS Treatment Data Network
    (212) 268-4196

    Clinical Trials Conducted by the National Institutes of Health or Food and Drug Administration-Approved Trials:

    AIDS Clinical Trials Information Service
    (800)-TRIALS-A (874-2572)




Social Security Disability Benefits

For confidential assistance in applying for social security disability benefits, call the Social Security Administration at (800) 722-1213. You also may request a personal earnings and benefit estimate statement (PEBES) to help you estimate the retirement, disability, and survivor benefits payable on your social security record.

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