HIV and the road to diagnosis

Friday, May 31, 1996

Confidential, local HIV/AIDS testing availableBy Karen
Duryea

Daily Bruin Staff

The numbers are rising.

According to 1994 Center for Disease Control statistics, the
number of people diagnosed as HIV positive is climbing. Growing at
a rate of three to five percent per year, HIV/AIDS has become the
leading cause of death among young adults aged 25 to 44.

When the statistics hit home, people’s first reaction is often
to question their own susceptibility ­ and from there, wonder
where to get tested. Yet with fear, anxiety and issues of privacy
standing in the way of taking that first step, some may be
discouraged from making it that far.

"It is my understanding that there are only a couple of people
who do anonymous HIV testing at Student Health ­ (so) hire
another one, and another one … Do something, anything because
that caller may never decide to call again," wrote fifth-year
sociology student Stephani Crespin in a previous Viewpoint
letter.

Student suggestions helped make a difference in Student Health’s
practices, said Al Setton, executive director of UCLA Student
Health Services. Setton explained that services for HIV/AIDS
testing have been adjusted according to student concern over the
lack of anonymity.

But confidential testing, which is available during any normal
visit with a physician, has always been available.

"We have tried to provide that service, not to duplicate what is
available in the community," Setton said. "We recognize the need to
set up within our clinic a special process for anonymous testing.
Our space availability has not always matched the demand, so we
made arrangements to adjust the staff to accommodate the need. We
take all student comments seriously, and when we found it was a
need we weren’t meeting, we made adjustments."

But with a dearth of state money and more funds directed at
prisons than education, repercussions are felt in the amount of
services provided for University of California students. Experts
commented that convenient HIV/AIDS testing has been sacrificed for
all communities in California, not just UCLA students.

"(Students) aren’t the only population that feels that way,"
said Terry, an AIDS health educator who works at the Southern
California AIDS Hotline. California has become one of the largest
epicenters of HIV positive citizens, second only to New York, he
said.

"The issue sucks … We don’t have enough money to give HIV
tests, and so it won’t be as easy as going to (an on-campus site),"
Terry said, explaining that there are alternatives to testing on
campus.

"Alternative Test Sites are set up specifically to keep your
name out of the system. Through your (non-university) doctor, any
insurance company can seize those records," Terry said.

Explaining that the problem lies not in the lack or quality of
testing sites, Terry said it is even more difficult to encourage
the approximately one million California citizens who are HIV
positive to walk through the doors of a clinic or call for an
appointment.

"I think society has done everything it can to make the process
easy and comfortable … The centers are clean, the labs are top of
the line. Everything from the delivery end is fine, but how do we
convince people it is to their benefit to get tested and breach the
psychological barriers?" Terry asked.

Experts who work with HIV/AIDS patients realized the need for
everyone who has been sexually active to get tested, yet outside
factors may scare patients into not getting tested at all.

"I think the biggest barriers are fear and ignorance." said
Sarah Rosenberg, activities coordinator at the HIV Day Program. "I
think it’s mostly fear, but if someone is well informed and
receives both pre- and post-testing counseling, the person should
feel comfortable getting the test. It’s scary no matter what, but
it is necessary."

Yet experts still believed that with all the obstacles to
overcome before getting tested ­ including the waiting for
both an appointment and the results ­ some students still fall
through the cracks.

"I think that there is a large discrepancy between sexually
active college students and students who actually get tested,"
Rosenberg said. "To get a test right way it is expensive; if you
want one for free, you have to wait."

Rosenberg explained that although the HIV Day Program deals with
all HIV positive patients, the program provides a list of places in
the community that conduct free test days.

For now, UCLA has made all the necessary steps it can to provide
HIV/AIDS testing for its students, Setton said.

"When you have a service available and people get to know about
it and want to use it, you find there is a mismatch of service to
requests. We made adjustments, and we encourage students to get
tested and talk to their clinician about testing," Setton said,
expressing that Student Health will continue to increase its staff
if needed.