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Routine HIV screening becomes California law
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10/13/2007
http://www.eurekareporter.com
HIV testing will become a routine part of physical exams next year in a new law that experts say is the biggest step forward in the fight against AIDS in decades.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Assemblymember Patty Berg's Assembly Bill 682 into law Friday and it will take effect Jan. 1.
The law will not force anyone to be tested for HIV, a news release stated, but will eliminate the requirement that patients sign a consent form before a test.
"It's a simple change that will have a big impact," Berg said in a news release.
The California Department of Health Services Office of AIDS estimates that as many as 40,000 people in California are unaware they carry the virus that causes AIDS. Many of them won't find out until they seek care for another illness. That means those people will miss out on years of treatment that could dramatically extend and improve their lives.
"This is the most significant shift in HIV policy in over a decade," said Michael Weinstein, president of AIDS Healthcare Foundation, in the news release. "We believe that many states will follow California's lead."
Doctors have said they are less likely to provide testing when patients have to fill out a form.
The new law is expected to result in earlier detection of the virus and better care for patients.
Doctors will still have to tell patients that they would like to add HIV to the list of other conditions for which they are testing, and patients can decline.
"The idea that we don't detect and treat this disease because of some social stigma about testing is ridiculous," Berg said. "Knowledge is power, and this is a perfect example."
The Center for Disease Control estimates that more than 1 million Americans are living with HIV, but nearly 250,000 don't know it.
"This simple yet historic change will help stem the spread of HIV and will ensure that more people receive treatment," said Anmol S. Mahal, president of the California Medical Association.
"After years of treating HIV differently than other diseases, we need a cultural shift to ensure that HIV screening becomes routine."
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