The Challenges of Living Far From a Hemophilia Treatment Center

By Gelene Doolittle, RN, Outreach Nurse

Living far away from a Hemophilia Treatment Center (HTC) presents many problems.  Among these is distance to travel.  This can result in more than one day lost from school or work and extra expenses for gas and hotel .  We won’t even mention having to drive in Atlanta when you come from a town where "rush hour" lasts 10 minutes! 

The good news is for the most part you only have to go to your HTC once a year for a checkup.  Phone calls in between to your HTC nurse is also a good idea.  If you attend your HTC appointments regularly many situations can be handled with a phone call. 

One very important piece of advice is to have a local physician who is familiar with your hemophilia.  Your HoG nurse will be happy to provide an in-service and any other information they need.  You can help pave the way by telling your doctor about us and asking him to let us provide an in-service. 

Little steps like these can make your journey with a bleeding disorder much smoother.  Unfortunately there is nothing that can be done about the traffic in Atlanta!