How to Prepare for Your Visit to the Pediatric HIV/AIDS Clinic

In order to make efficient use of your time spent here, please ask your primary care physician to fax all clinical information before your arrival. Our team will review this information to better prepare for your visit.

If you are scheduling, changing, or canceling an appointment, please call us at (615) 322-2250.

If you are running late, please call this number to notify us of your delay. If you need to change your appointment, please let us know as soon as possible.

Because our clinic time and space is very limited, please notify us of any appointment cancellations at least 24 hours in advance. This helps us adjust our schedule to accommodate other patients.

Our clinic is open Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to noon.

We will provide space in the exam room for one or two family members. Anyone else who accompanies you must remain in the waiting area.

First visit

Please bring the following information about your child with you:

• Insurance card
• Lab reports from lab work not done at Vanderbilt University Medical Center
• Immunization history
• Medical history

Return visits

Please bring any follow-up information that may have been requested.

If your child is acutely ill and in need of IV antibiotics or additional diagnostic tests, he or she may be admitted to the hospital. Occasionally, an HIV patient is admitted to the hospital to change their current HIV medications.

There are three ways patients may be admitted to the Pediatric Infectious Disease service: through our clinic, through the emergency department, or from Vanderbilt’s Pediatric Primary Care Clinic.

Generally, there are no special restrictions for patients unless they have a highly contagious disease, such as tuberculosis or chicken pox. These patients are placed in an isolated, restricted area.

We collaborate with various pediatric specialists as needed. Therefore, other services may see your child based on the reason for hospitalization.

Call the case manager at (615) 322-2250 for laboratory and test results, or for answers any questions or concerns, including prescriptions.

The attending physician will contact your primary care physician with a detailed, written account of your visit that will include an HIV infection status update.

The clinical nurse specialist or the attending physician usually handles all telephone questions.

For non-emergency situations, call us at (615) 322-2250 during office hours. We are happy to discuss any questions or concerns you may have.

For emergency needs after 5 p.m. weekdays, or on weekends, please use the same number. The answering service will page the physician on call.