Take the Take a look at & Take the Subsequent Step: Regardless of the way you take a look at, irrespective of your take a look at outcomes, take the following step.
Yearly, on June 27, we observe Nationwide HIV Testing Day, which provides us the chance to emphasise and encourage the significance of HIV testing as an empowering first step in selecting choices to remain wholesome whatever the take a look at consequence. This 12 months, the theme is “Take the Take a look at & Take the Subsequent Step.” This theme emphasizes that HIV testing is step one in selecting choices to remain wholesome whatever the take a look at consequence. Folks that take a look at optimistic for HIV may be linked to lifesaving HIV remedy. Folks that take a look at unfavourable for HIV can obtain empowering details about safer intercourse, substance use, and healthcare.
Individuals with psychological sickness and/or substance use dysfunction are at elevated danger of getting and transmitting HIV. Lots of the Substance Abuse and Psychological Well being Providers Administration’s (SAMHSA) grant recipients are step one into the healthcare system for people who find themselves weak to or dwelling with HIV. Per the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC) pointers, everybody between the ages of 13 and 64 ought to get examined for HIV at the least as soon as as a part of routine well being care. Some people should get tested more often, together with individuals who have shared needles, syringes, or different drug injection gear corresponding to cookers, and individuals who have exchanged intercourse for medicine or cash.
SAMHSA has lengthy inspired substance use dysfunction and psychological well being remedy suppliers to combine HIV testing into routine care:
In truth, it’s a requirement for a few of our grants. We encourage SAMHSA grant recipients to observe CDC’s HIV testing guidelines for clinical settings. SAMHSA can be a proud participant within the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and the Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. Initiative which emphasizes diagnosing people as quickly as potential. This additionally ensures the provision of a number of HIV testing modalities to greatest meet the wants of populations with elevated danger of transmission resulting from a variety of social, financial, and demographic components (corresponding to stigma and discrimination).
People that take a look at unfavourable can also acquire entry to highly effective instruments like Pre-Publicity Prophylaxis (PrEP), or drugs to forestall HIV. If you need to obtain an HIV take a look at in individual, you’ll find a testing supplier, in addition to different HIV service suppliers, via the CDC’s Let’s Stop HIV Together campaign website. In the event you would like to manage your personal take a look at, HIV self-testing may be executed the place and whenever you select. Lastly, when you, or somebody , is in search of assist for substance use or psychological sickness, SAMHSA’s FindSupport.gov is an internet information that helps individuals navigate via frequent questions when they’re at first of their journey to deal with psychological well being, drug and alcohol points. This contains how you can ask for assist, how you can assist others and how you can seek for a healthcare skilled or help program that meets their wants. It options success tales that illustrate various kinds of behavioral well being experiences; lists of how you can discuss to somebody about getting assist; steps on how to deal with psychological well being, drug or alcohol points; indicators of when to hunt assist and instruments to ask for assist; and knowledge on how you can pay for remedy with or with out insurance coverage.
SAMHSA wish to take this chance to thank our grant recipients and companion organizations for his or her contribution to ending the HIV epidemic in the USA. We encourage everybody in danger for HIV, particularly these with psychological well being and substance use situations, to make use of at the present time as a chance to get examined as step one to lifelong well being.
