Contact the Stanislaus Community Assistance Project at 572-2437, to get information regarding testing sites, times, methods, and procedures.
Or,
if you prefer to e-mail your questions, send your question to HIVSTDInfo@SCAP4.org
Testing Definitions
· Anonymous Testing
means that the clinic keeps no record of your name. They use only a code to process your records and your blood specimen.
Confidential
Testing means that the clinic keeps your name in their records and must keep your medical record information (like all other recorded
information) private and they are generally prohibited from releasing HIV information except by your written permission. Patients
often sign a consent to bill form which gives permission to release information to an insurance company. You can check this with your
provider.
The benefits of testing for HIV include, determining HIV status.
If you are HIV-infected, the benefits of testing include:
· Ability
to access HIV evaluation and care, including immune system monitoring and early drug treatments. This care is available to all people
with HIV in California, even those without health insurance or financial resources (in Stanislaus County, information for patients
about individual health benefits can be accessed through the Stanislaus Community Assistance Project).
· Ability to reduce risk
behaviors that expose sexual or needle sharing partners to HIV infection.
· Ability of a pregnant woman to receive antiviral drug
treatment during pregnancy and delivery to greatly reduce the risk of transmitting HIV to her baby.
· Ability to inform
(and to obtain Public Health help informing) current and previous sex and needle sharing partners of their risk of HIV infection.
Decreased
anxiety from finally knowing HIV status.
If you are not infected, the benefits of testing may include:
· Client-centered counseling
that has been shown to reduce risks of future infections.
· Decreased anxiety from finally knowing HIV status.
Ability to make
decisions about condom use with a partner who has also been tested.
Disadvantages of testing for HIV include:
· Anxiety
while waiting for test results.
· The emotional and psychological consequences of dealing with a positive result.
· The
potential for discrimination against those who test positive. However, in California it is illegal to discriminate based on HIV status.
Anonymous testing and anonymous early clinical evaluation is available through Public Health to limit unwanted disclosure.
The possible
inability to get life or disability insurance if you are HIV positive.
Testing in most situations involves:
<Click here to learn
more about testing, consent, and reporting laws>
· Giving informed consent, which may require signing a form.
· Talking
before testing with a test counselor about one’s sexual and drug using behaviors, the meaning of a positive or negative test result,
and any other questions that may come up about HIV.
· Drawing a small amount of blood, or providing a saliva or urine sample.
For regular antibody tests, results are given in about a week either by phone or in person.
(Rapid test results are given more quickly.)
