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news
HIV prevention
offered by Long Beach
By Lyndsey Shinoda
Summer On-line Forty-Niner
The city of Long
Beach in conjunction with Cal State Long Beach provides HIV
prevention and testing services for the whole community at
little or no cost.
A July 31 Long
Beach City Council ruling unanimously passed, allowing over
$5 million for funding the provision of HIV/AIDS preventive
health services over the next three years, according to Sharon
Stone, chief deputy city clerk.
Student Health
Services at CSULB offers free and confidential HIV testing
and counseling several times a month, said Larry Harvey, clinical
coordinator of SHS. According to Vic Cannon, budget and operations
coordinator for SHS, the center has been offering free HIV
testing since November of 1987.
"I would suggest
people in high risk occupational fields (nursing, emergency
rooms), intravenous drug users, people who are sexually active
with more than one sexual partner, and people that are sexually
active with a single partner who may not be faithful,"
Harvey said. "HIV is equal opportunity."
State-certified
counselors ask those getting tested a series of questions
dealing with why they're getting tested, give them the definition
of HIV, and find out their demographic of sexual habits, Harvey
said. Patients are also tested for gonorrhea, syphilis, and
chlamydia, which is why the test results take two weeks.
"Since we
do the other tests, it takes a bit of time," Harvey said.
"The Elisa test tests for HIV antibodies, but if there's
any question on the test, the Western Blot test is the end-all."
According to Harvey,
there is a "window period," which is six months
after your last high risk encounter. For example, if the last
time you had unprotected sex was six months ago and you were
getting tested today, the accuracy of the test would be 99
percent, because the HIV antibodies can take that long to
show up in the blood, Harvey said. If your last high-risk
encounter was three months ago, the accuracy of the test would
be 90-95 percent. Harvey recommends getting tested every year.
If someone is HIV
positive, there's a program with Long Beach public health.
There is an early prevention program to get them started with
counseling and medication, Harvey said. If the person is negative,
the counselors talk with them about how they feel, and set
both short-term and long-term goals for reducing the risk
of HIV infection.
The clinic is held
in the basement of SHS during days when no other things are
schedule. There are discreet signs and the area is as free
of traffic as possible, Harvey said.
"I think it's
great," Harvey said. "The students appreciate the
fact we maintain an environment that gives them a sense of
anonymity."
The next HIV testing
at SHS is Aug. 9, from 1-5 p.m. in the basement of SHS, room
122. Appointments can be made by calling (562) 985-4609.
The city of Long
Beach's Beach Mobile unit also visits CSULB, according to
Meredith Cagle, prevention services officer for the State
Department of Health Services. The Beach Mobile targets high
risk populations, provides HIV counseling and testing, and
STD screening.
"It's a better
way to reach the community," Cagle said. "Most services
are provided at low or no cost. No one is turned away if they
can't pay."
HIV-related services
provided for the community include prevention, education and
care programs, which will be continued and expanded as a result
of the $5 million ruling, which guarantees funding from now
until June 30, 2004, Cagle said.
The city is also
involved with the CSULB Center for Behavioral Research and
Services, which educates drug users and sex workers. Social
marketing reaches young men who have sex with men, as well
as African-Americans. There is also a mobile clinic that provides
services in Spanish to the Latino community of Long Beach.
An early intervention
program provides disciplinary services for those who've recently
been diagnosed HIV positive. Another program is the Bridge
project, which links HIV patients who are not receiving treatment
into treatment programs.
"We've been
able to meet the needs of diverse populations, reaching those
people at highest need," Cagle said.
The Long Beach
Health Department offers anonymous and confidential HIV testing
on a walk-in basis. For more information, one may call (562)
570-4315.
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