Florida: Health Officials Push Expanded HIV Screening

State and local health officials are using National HIV Testing Day to help make the test a routine part of medical care. Dozens of community organizations, clinics and hospitals across Florida will offer free HIV testing on Friday. But officials say providing affordable, accessible testing to patients on a regular basis is their ultimate goal.

"Testing just doesn't happen enough in routine doctor visits," said Marlene LaLota, HIV prevention director for the Florida Department of Health (FDH).

CDC estimates that around 250,000 Americans are HIV-infected but do not know it. Last year, the agency gave FDH a $4.8 million grant to boost testing at 45 health care sites across the state that serve large African-American communities. Ten of those sites are hospitals that agreed to offer HIV testing to every patient who presents at the emergency room.

While routine testing may be a burden in the short term, it can help lessen the volume of patients in emergency rooms over time, said LaLota. "If you can diagnose these people early it takes those people out of your ER," she said. "They won't be coming in every week with coughs and infections."

Although coverage for HIV testing is inconsistent, many health care professionals expect it to increase in response to CDC's recommendation that the procedure become a routine part of medical care for all persons ages 13-64.

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