No one likes to think they could carry HIV. Sitting with a counselor for half an hour and filling out paperwork could deter even the most confident patient looking to get tested. Fortunately, this may change.
More than 40,000 people are infected with the human immunodeficiency virus every year and between 25 and 35 percent of the people who contract the virus do not know that they are infected. Out of that 40,000 that are infected, 50 percent of them are infected by people who do not know they have the virus, said Jake Molofsky, an administrator at the Open Door Health Clinic.
"All the consent in the world isn't making one drop of difference in bringing the rate of HIV down," Molofsky said. The number of new cases per year has remained the same for the past 13 years which presents the idea that strategies of attack on this virus are no longer effective and it is time to try something else.
In efforts to decrease the number of cases and increase state-wide awareness, California State Assembly member Patty Berg introduced Bill 682, which makes HIV testing a routine part of physical exams.
The new bill will eliminate the mandatory paperwork and counseling sessions that are currently required before receiving the test. Instead of having to suffer through the embarrassment of asking for the test, the person performing routine blood work on a patient will simply suggest that at that time, HIV testing be conducted. The patient has the right to refuse if he or she does not feel it to be necessary and the remainder of the visit will go on as usual. "The whole idea will de-stigmatize [HIV]," Molfsky said.
Valerie Small Navarro of the American Civil Liberties Union believes differently. By making HIV testing into "just another test" people who truly benefit from the test no longer will. In some cases, Small Navarro said, health facilities who have given the test as a regular blood test without the permission of the patient have used the status of HIV positive against patients, denying them treatment in cases where the patient may not even know of his or her HIV positive status.
There is a concern for the knowledge of the patient, Small Navarro said. By eliminating the required paperwork and counseling sessions from the HIV testing process, physicians are denying patients their Constitutional right to the knowledge of what it is they are giving consent to do.
Humboldt State Health Center director Rebecca Stauffer said the bill will streamline the process of getting tested. "[The legislation] will bring the process in California in line with [Centers for Disease Control] recommendations, while safe guarding confidentiality," she said.
Last year more than 150 students requested an HIV test at the Student Health Center and more than 760 tests were given at the Six Rivers Planned Parenthood Center. These groups believe that the new bill will drastically increase their numbers and as a result, make more people aware of their health and their surroundings.
"It gives [patients] power," said Six Rivers Planned Parenthood director of education, Debbe Hartridge referring to the knowledge of whether or not the patient is at risk.
Hartridge and Molofsky share the passion to get people tested early so that if the virus is present, treatment can be provided early before the onset of complications. People between the ages of 14 and 64 are the most at risk age group and are strongly encouraged to go in for testing.
With the passing of this bill, Molofsky hopes that the nervousness that was previously associated with the test will be eliminated. "[Doctors visits] are always so awkward," said Sean Gillespie, a third-year business administrations major. "I would be more likely to get tested if the HIV test were simply lumped in with the rest of normal blood tests or vaccination."
The bill is currently waiting the approval and signature of Governor Schwarzenegger. The governor has until October 14 to sign the bill.
This is a big deal, Molofsky said, "People don't have to die from this."
Published October 3, 2007. The Lumberjack.
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