The Graduate Center is an HIV-saavy community, which is evidenced by the significant turnout to the recent confidential Rapid-HIV testing event sponsored by the Wellness Center-Student Health Services on November 11. In fact, there proved to be such a need for the service, the Outreach Team from Ryan-NENA Community Health Center will be returning on Thursday, December 3, from 10:00 – 12:00 and 2:00 – 4:00 on the concourse level! In addition, the Wellness Center-Student Health Services will be tabling information on HIV/AIDS and World AIDS Day in the lobby.
The fact that there is so much activity and education around HIV speaks to the need for continued efforts to stem transmission of the disease. According to the CDC, many persons with HIV do not get tested until late in their infection. In the United States, approximately 40 percent to 50 percent of patients with HIV infection are diagnosed with AIDS within one year of testing.
Another challenge to prevention efforts is that many persons who are tested do not return to learn their test results. Using the traditional test, it may take several weeks to get results back, warranting a second appointment. The CDC estimated that in 2000, 31 percent of patients who tested positive at public-sector testing sites did not return to receive their results
Rapid-HIV testing both reduces wait time to one visit and expands the testing sites to non-clinical settings. A rapid test uses a quick finger stick test that produces results in about twenty minutes. Allowing time for confidential paperwork and education, the appointment takes less than an hour. The Ryan-NENA staff provides comprehensive, confidential counseling and will connect you quickly to medical services if needed.
One test counts the number of T-cells in the immune system. T-cells are white blood cells that help the body fight infections. HIV destroys these cells. A person with HIV usually has a high number of T-cells early on. Over time, that number begins to drop. Another test checks how much HIV is in the blood. This is called “viral load testing.” The number of T-cells and the HIV viral load determine what kind of treatment a person should have, and show whether or not the treatment is working once it is started.
There are other testing options. State and local health departments, HIV/AIDS organizations or private doctors can give the test. The nurse practitioner at the Wellness Center-Student Health Services can give the test. It has to be sent out for results and requires a follow-up visit, but may be a more convenient option for Graduate Center students. There is a lab fee of about $12 that will be billed to the student by the lab.
No matter the method, all HIV tests are confidential. Your result is told only to you, but it is also put in your medical file, which your health care provider has access to. Some areas offer anonymous testing. This means you don’t give your name and the result will only be reported to you. Home testing kits are available from pharmacies. You mail a blood sample along with a code name or number and receive results over the phone.
Knowing your HIV-status is critical to getting early treatment if your status is positive. While there is no cure for HIV, treatments can be started when the person is healthy. The most common treatments limit the ability of the virus to reproduce. They help protect the immune system and improve chances of staying healthy. Other treatments may slow the spread of HIV, make the immune system stronger and treat opportunistic infections. Certain medicines can be taken by HIV-positive pregnant women to significantly reduce the risk of passing it on to their baby. Since it takes time for HIV to show up in the blood system after it has been contracted, it’s best to get tested regularly.
Important Information
The Ryan-NENA Outreach team will return to the Graduate Center for confidential Rapid-HIV testing on Thursday, December 3 from 10:00 – 12:00 and 2:00 – 4:00 in the concourse level (C204-C205).
The last patients from the 10 – 12 slot will be seen at 12 and the last patients from the 2:00 – 4:00 slot will be seen at 4:00. Please allow time for a short wait, paperwork, testing and questions and answers, about forty minutes to an hour. If you have any questions, call the Wellness Center at 212 – 817-7020.
If you are not able to make the onsite testing at the Graduate Center on December 3, the Ryan-NENA Community Health Center offers full HIV services, including rapid testing at their site, located in the Lower East Side.
For information, or appointment call:
Ryan/Chelsea Clinton: (212) 265‑4500
Ryan-NENA: Assistant Coordinator of Prevention, Education Outreach (212) 477‑8500
Ryan Center: Coord. of Counseling & Testing (212) 749‑1820