Canada: AIDS Doc Risks Big Bucks for Clinic

Anne-Marie Zajdlik, a family physician and HIV specialist, has committed $100,000 (US$82,000) of her own money to realize her goal of building a Guelph-based regional holistic HIV/AIDS clinic. For over a year, from the ground up, Zajdlik has worked on the clinic that she envisions will serve 300-400 HIV patients in Guelph, Waterloo Region and Grey-Bruce counties.

If the proposal now on Health Minister George Smitherman's desk is approved, the clinic would be Ontario's first such holistic HIV/AIDS clinic, said Zajdlik. If the clinic does not receive approval, Zajdlik said, "We'll fund-raise. It would be smaller scale and fundraising would become a huge piece of what we do. But we'll do it."

Zajdlik and two business partners risked their own money to purchase and renovate a building for the downtown Masai Center for Local, Regional and Global Health, which she hopes will open in April. She was not disclosing the location of the project since it still lacks ministerial approval.

The clinic would offer conventional medicine by three family doctors, an infectious-disease specialist and a psychiatrist -- all with an HIV/AIDS specialty. It would also have a nutritionist, massage therapist and holistic medicine practitioner.

The clinic would support research and sponsor McMaster University students in training. After the Guelph clinic is launched, Zajdlik hopes to open sister clinics in African countries.

The AIDS Committee of Guelph and Wellington is supporting Zajdlik's project and plans to rent space in the clinic building. About a month ago, six local high school students volunteered time to help renovate the building. As a reward, Zajdlik has given them flexibility to furnish and decorate the patient lounge.

Back to other news for December 28, 2004