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Researchers at Albert Einstein
College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, in Bronx, N.Y., investigated whether
individuals would agree to HIV testing if they could access it at community
pharmacies. Yvette Calderon, MD, professor of clinical emergency medicine, associate
dean for Einstein’s Office of Diversity Enhancement, and adult urgent care
director at Jacobi Medical Center, surmised that one of the reasons why the
number of new HIV infections in the United States remained at approximately
50,000 for more than a decade was the lack of access to testing. She noted that
groups with the highest HIV burden—low-income and minority groups—had the
lowest access to healthcare.
Calderon and colleagues tested a
different way of offering testing to low-income and minority groups. They
partnered with five community-based pharmacies in the Bronx and Manhattan to
test high-risk and difficult-to-reach individuals. The researchers used public
health advocates (PHAs) to offer HIV testing to people in pharmacies and on
sidewalks and to administer the oral rapid test to those who accepted. The
rapid test kits provided results in 20 minutes. Participants completed an
HIV-risk factor and test satisfaction questionnaire while waiting for their
results, and the PHA counseled them about risk reduction. If the participant
received a positive test result, the PHA offered to take them to an HIV clinic
nearby to meet with an HIV specialist. Participants were free to accept or
decline the offer.
Throughout 294 testing days, PHAs
tested 2,030 persons, six of whom tested HIV-positive. Five of the six allowed
the PHA to accompany them to the clinic, where additional testing showed that
their diagnosis came at an early stage of infection. Calderon concluded that
the results showed that pharmacies could supplement the healthcare system,
particularly in lower-income neighborhoods, by offering a convenient way for
people to know their HIV status and get treated.
The full report, “Counselor-Based
Rapid HIV Testing in Community Pharmacies,” was published online ahead of print
in the journal AIDS Patient Care and STDs (2013; doi:10.1089/apc.2013.0076).
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!
