HAA Announces New Funds: Advocates Issue Guidance

Back in September the CDC announced that DC would be one of several jurisdictions to receive new funding to support HIV testing primarily in African American populations.

The Department of Health released their own press release last week sharing that the grant from the CDC is for a whopping $1,461,874. The funds should significantly beef up the Districts struggling HIV testing program, provided they are used wisely and responsibly.

“As the city with the highest HIV and AIDS rates in the country and the first to start routine HIV screening, the District of Columbia is proud to lead this initiative to fight HIV in our African American community,” said Dr. Pane.

But some advocates are questioning whether a routine testing strategy really is more effective than an HIV testing strategy that targets communities most at risk. Research by Dr. David Holtgrave, from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, indicate that targeted HIV testing may be the better way to go. Of course, the answer to that question is in part connected to what our local epidemic looks like. And since we are still waiting for surveillance data, it's hard to say.

Meanwhile, a number of HIV/AIDS advocacy groups have teamed up to issue recommendations on how these new testing campaigns should be conducted. Lambda Legal, AIDS Foundation of Chicago and the Center for HIV Law and Policy are sending a set of 15 HIV testing principles to help guide the 23 state and local public health departments, announced last week, that will receive funding by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to conduct increased HIV testing campaigns.

The principles, which to date have been endorsed by over 70 health, service and advocacy organizations and physicians, are set forth in a document entitled “Expanding the Availability and Acceptance of Voluntary HIV Testing: Fundamental Principles to Guide Implementation.”

“As local public health agencies use new grant monies, it is vitally important that certain principles guide those efforts, to ensure that HIV testing is always informed, voluntary, confidential, and supported by health care,” said Bebe Anderson, HIV Project Director at Lambda Legal and one of the primary authors of the Fundamental Principles. “Otherwise, the worthy goals of increasing early diagnosis and care for those who are living with HIV will suffer.”

The complete document is available on the Lambda legal website. The 15 guiding principles include:

• People living with undiagnosed HIV infection must be reached and offered testing.
• Any HIV testing program must provide the highest standard of care.
• Everyone offered testing must be educated about HIV and the significance of positive and negative test results.
• People who test positive for HIV antibodies must be linked to care.
• Patients' human rights and informed consent are consistent with, and not opposed to, the goal of expanded HIV testing.
  Expanded HIV testing must be tailored to different clinical settings, populations, and patient needs.
• Clinicians, medical directors and other providers must receive training and education in making appropriate service referrals and linkages to care.
  Special attention must be paid to the prevention and care needs of at-risk populations.

Get Involved!

Your organization can sign on to the document. Visit www.hivtestingprinciples.org to find out more.