St. Kitts – Nevis Fights HIV-AIDS
Basseterre, St. Kitts – Nevis
March 04, 2010 (SKNIS)
Residents of Old Road and surrounding communities are encouraged to take advantage of a National AIDS Secretariat initiative to find out their HIV/AIDS status.
Due to a request to have HIV testing done in the rural area, the National AIDS Secretariat instituted Community HIV Testing Days in 2008. Residents of Old Road, in particular, are invited to come to the Old Road Community Centre on Thursday, March 18, 2010 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. to receive free and confidential HIV testing. As customary the tests will be done by qualified Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) Providers, who provide advice before and after testing.
All persons who take advantage of the VCT will receive a $10.00 LIME Top Up when they return for their test results, which will be provided the same afternoon. Attractions include a male condom placement competition, which can be entered by both male and females. There will also be female condom and dental dam demonstrations. Giveaways include promotional items such as key chains along with HIV/AIDS information.
If follow-up is necessary following the test result, individuals have access to a clinical care team whose members are professionally trained to deal with the issues that arrive from the communicable disease.
The team includes a gynecologist, pediatrician, internal medical specialist, senior pharmacist, lab manager, coordinator of community nursing who is also a trained VCT provider and an admission and discharge nurse at the Joseph N. France General Hospital to reinsure confidentiality. Persons diagnosed with HIV also have access to a social worker, patient advocate, nutrition counselor and general medical practitioner, who is also the clinical care coordinator. Should medication be necessary it is provided free of cost by the Ministry of Health.
Persons living in Old Road, in particular, are invited to come to the Old Road Community Centre on Thursday, March 18, 2010 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. to find out their HIV status. All activities will be conducted with the strictest confidentiality.