Pilot Project at Vancouver Hospitals Finds 30 HIV Patients Upon Admission

Under a pilot project launched in October 2011, four area hospitals in Vancouver began offering HIV testing to patients when other blood tests were ordered upon admission.

More than 30 individuals were diagnosed with HIV in the program’s first year. Before the project began, only those who were believed to be at high risk for HIV were offered the test.

According to Dr. Patricia Daly, chief medical health officer for the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, the individuals diagnosed are men and women from a range of backgrounds, reinforcing the point that all adults should be tested for HIV as part of their routine health care. The provincial government recently announced that it will expand the program to the rest of the province in the next year as part of a plan called STOP HIV/AIDS.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.

TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!