HIV tests offered free to women through Snohomish Health District

Submitted by lance on Mon, 2010-03-08 18:45

In this story, women/girls of a town in Washington state are being provided with free HIV tests for a day while the men/boys of the same town are not. While the group providing the tests is a "local public health agency" it appears that this only applies to women/girls in the county. Excerpt:

'Women and girls: It’s time to get tested for HIV.

That’s the message from the Snohomish Health District, which is offering free HIV tests today, Tuesday and Wednesday in support of National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, which is Wednesday.

District clinics will offer prevention information and free anonymous or confidential HIV tests for females age 14 and older who are at risk for HIV infection from unprotected sex, from injection drug use, or from mother-to-child contact during pregnancy, birth or breastfeeding.'

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Hi Lance,

I am an HIV Tester at the Snohomish Health District.

We participate in several National HIV Testing Days sponsored by the Center for Disease Control. This week we are participating in the National HIV Testing Day for Women and Girls to emphasize the increasing number of women testing positive for HIV and boost awareness of testing opportunities.

However, the greatest percentage of individuals receiving free testing and services from the Snohomish Health District HIV clinic (by far!) are in fact men who are at risk for HIV.

In any case, on a daily basis we provide free testing to ALL individuals at risk for HIV.

This includes the following:

·injected drugs or steroids, during which equipment (such as needles, syringes, cotton, water) was shared

·had unprotected vaginal, anal, or oral sex with men who have sex with men, multiple partners, or anonymous partners

·exchanged sex for drugs or money

·been given a diagnosis of, or been treated for, hepatitis or a sexually transmitted disease such as Syphilis

·received a blood transfusion or clotting factor during 1978–1985

·had unprotected sex with someone who has any of the risk factors listed above

Individuals who do not meet these risk criteria can still receive an HIV test for $89.00.

To schedule a test or find out walk-in hours for testing, anyone can call 425.339.5298.

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Submitted by Here2Answer on Tue, 2010-03-09 22:28