Oral

An important aspect of current prevention programs is HIV testing. Not surprisingly, the CDC recommends routine HIV screening. In this session, participants will learn about the advantages and disadvantages regarding HIV testing in five different settings. In the first presentation, the presenter will discuss the success of implementing a provider-driven rapid HIV testing model in emergency departments in New York city. The focus of the second presentation will be the results from Washington, DC, which was the first area to distribute free rapid HIV tests to all of its residents. In the third presentation, the presenter will discuss the challenges encountered in terms of implementing HIV testing programs at medical and non-medical sites that were encountered in San Francisco. For the fourth presentation, the focus is the efficacy of an HIV testing expansion initiative to increase the number of persons who know their HIV status, identify persons early in diagnosis, and retain these persons in medical care. The last presentation will examine the issues of risk perceptions, willingness to be tested, and barriers to testing among African-American students enrolled at Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Session Objectives: 1. Identify factors that promote or inhibit persons’ willingness to be tested for HIV and their acceptance of HV rapid testing programs. 2. Articulate the components of CDC guidance for HIV testing in medical and non-medical settings. 3. Describe innovative strategies for increasing the number of persons screened for HIV in diverse settings.

CE Credits: CME, Health Education (CHES), Nursing