Peggy
09-19-2008, 08:01 PM
About one in four Americans living with HIV doesn't know it. Now an Akron medical and dental practice that caters primarily to the poor and uninsured wants to help those patients get proper treatment and stop the spread of HIV by giving everyone a chance to get tested for free.
Starting this week, Akron Community Health Resources (ACHR) is offering free rapid HIV screening tests to all patients 13 and older, even if they don't have any obvious risk factors for contracting the virus that causes AIDS.
ACHR is one of four federally supported health centers in the state participating in the pilot project to offer the HIV rapid screening tests.
Starting this week, patients at ACHR's sliding-scale medical clinic and dental practice on South Arlington Street are being asked at all appointments whether they want the free screening test for the virus that causes AIDS.
''That's what we say to people: 'You're not being singled out. We offer it to everybody,' '' said Christina T. Coenen, nurse practitioner at ACHR. ''You don't want to go by just their risk indicators because you're going to miss people. It should be part of routine care.''
More (http://www.ohio.com/news/28640629.html)...
Starting this week, Akron Community Health Resources (ACHR) is offering free rapid HIV screening tests to all patients 13 and older, even if they don't have any obvious risk factors for contracting the virus that causes AIDS.
ACHR is one of four federally supported health centers in the state participating in the pilot project to offer the HIV rapid screening tests.
Starting this week, patients at ACHR's sliding-scale medical clinic and dental practice on South Arlington Street are being asked at all appointments whether they want the free screening test for the virus that causes AIDS.
''That's what we say to people: 'You're not being singled out. We offer it to everybody,' '' said Christina T. Coenen, nurse practitioner at ACHR. ''You don't want to go by just their risk indicators because you're going to miss people. It should be part of routine care.''
More (http://www.ohio.com/news/28640629.html)...