| Education |
| BCAR provides group or individual presentations that provide information about the transmission of HIV and other STD's. Free and confidential testing is usually offered after a presentation. Call 325 672 3077 to schedule a free educational presentation. |
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| Community Outreach |
| Activities designed to increase community awareness and utilization of BCAR's prevention services. |
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| Should I get tested? |
If you are wondering if you should get tested for HIV, you should talk to an HIV testing counselor, who will provide you with pre-test counseling. At BCAR, the HIV test counselor is called a health educator. You should consider getting tested if you:
- Had oral, vaginal, or anal sex with anyone without using a latex condom.
- Have or have had a sexually transmitted disease, tuberculosis, or hepatitis.
- Shared needles for injecting drugs or had sex with someone who has.
- Exchanged sex for money or drugs.
- Had sex with a male or female prostitute, or had sex with someone who has.
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| What happens in pretest counseling? |
| The HIV health educator will ask questions about your medical history and personal risk behavior. For example, have you been diagnosed and treated with any sexually transmitted diseases? Have you been tested for HIV in the past? What types of sexual behaviors have you engaged in, now or in the past? Have you injected drugs, such as heroin or cocaine, and shared needles or works with other users? Have you traded sex for money or drugs? The purpose asking these highly personal and intimate questions is to both assess your risk for HIV and counsel you on how to reduce any risky behaviors you may engage in. The health educator will thoroughly explain the type of HIV test that is done, and what the test results mean. This pretest counseling should be done under strict confidentiality. After all of your questions have been answered, the health educator will ask you if you want to go ahead with HIV testing. If you do, the health educator will ask you to read and sign a consent form to show your agreement with HIV testing. |
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| Can I have my test results over the phone? |
| No. No one can get HIV test results over the phone. It is very important that the test results are thoroughly explained to you by your health educator. It is important that you speak face to face with her or him, so you can ask any question you may have. |
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| How long will it take to get HIV test results? |
| When your blood is drawn for testing at BCAR, the blood sample is sent to the state lab in Austin. Results are usually available within two weeks. |
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| How can I cope with the stress of waiting for the HIV test results? |
| Waiting for test results can be very stressful. We suggest that you try to distract yourself. For example, you could exercise, go see a movie, read a book, talk to a friend. If you cannot stop worrying about the test results, and you want someone to talk to, you can call up your HIV health educator or call the national HIV information hotline at 1-800-aid-aids for anonymous counseling. |
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| What will happen when I come for my test results? |
| Your HIV health educator will tell you the results of your HIV antibody test. If your results are negative, it means that no antibodies for the HIV virus were found. If you believe that you were exposed to HIV in the last 3-6 months, your HIV health educator will advise you to get tested in 3 months. She or he will talk to you about safer sex behavior, the use of condoms for men and women, and male condoms can be provided. Avoiding risky behaviors in using drugs and alcohol will also be explained. |
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| What if my test is positive for HIV? |
| Receiving positive HIV test results can be a stressful, shocking experience. The HIV health educator will help you figure out if there is anyone among your friends or relatives in whom you can confide. If you have no one in your life you feel you want to confide in, the HIV educator will refer you to a mental health counselor for emotional support during this stressful time. |
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| What should I do next? |
| It is important for anyone testing positive to obtain follow-up medical care. Your HIV health educator will advise you to contact your medical practitioner for further steps. If you don’t have a primary care doctor BCAR can help you make an appointment at the local HIV clinic. Your medical practitioner will draw blood for HIV viral load testing, t-cells, and a whole battery of blood tests that will help determine your present state of health. The HIV health educator will explain to you the basics of medical care and treatment of people with HIV. |
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| If I test positive, I am afraid to tell anyone. Do I have to tell? |
You have a legal obligation to inform your sexual contacts that they may have been exposed to HIV. This can be done in one of two ways:
- You can tell your partners yourself. Your health educator can help you with ideas on how to do this. Or,
- You can give your Disease Intervention Specialist (DIS) the contact information on your partners. The DIS will then contact your partners to inform them they may have been exposed to HIV and should get tested. The DIS will NOT identify how, when, or by whom, the person may have been exposed. Many people find this to be the best way of letting their partners know of their possible exposure, without a confrontation.
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| If friend, relative or I want to be tested for HIV, what should we do? |
| Anyone, who wants HIV testing can call 325 672 3077, BCAR's office number, to make an appointment. If you or your friend feels uncomfortable asking for an HIV test, you can simply ask for the health educator. |