AIDS Organizations Support New HIV Testing Bill

Praise bill as a move in the right direction

NEW YORK, April 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Five AIDS service organizations
today endorsed legislation proposed by State Senate Health Committee Chair
Thomas Duane that would bring New York's HIV counseling and testing law
up-to-date with the realities facing the epidemic today.

"Far too many individuals learn of their HIV status concurrently with an AIDS
diagnosis, and far too many persons are HIV infected and not aware of their
status," said Sharen Duke, CEO of AIDS Service Center NYC. "New, more
aggressive efforts must be made to expand HIV testing, including making
testing a routine part of medical care."

Much has changed in HIV since the passage of legislation that established New
York State's HIV counseling and testing laws in 1988, including new therapies
that have effectively turned HIV from a devastating disease to a condition
that can be managed indefinitely through effective treatment. Additionally,
the expansion of HIV into communities of color and disenfranchised populations
has posed considerable and serious challenges.

Senator Duane's proposed legislation would allow the consent to an HIV test to
be incorporated into a general consent for medical care, with a clearly marked
place adjacent to signature where a patient may decline an HIV test. This
would eliminate the need for a separate, written informed consent to an HIV
test.

Emma DeVito, president and CEO of Village Care, said, "It makes great sense
with what the epidemic faces today to offer everyone an HIV test, not just
those deemed to be 'at risk' after an assessment."

"We believe that this bill is a move in the right direction to eliminating
barriers to testing. The addition of a referral list of local community
service providers for those who test positive for HIV infection would further
help to ensure that individuals are made aware of the resources available,"
Dr. Gail Barouh, president and CEO of LIAAC, said.

Adrian Fassett, president and CEO of EOC of Suffolk, also strongly supports
Senator Duane's testing bill "as an excellent step toward increased access to
testing that can help New Yorkers learn their HIV status and receive early
care and treatment that leads to long-term survival."

The five organizations supporting Senator Duane's modifications -- AIDS
Service Center NYC; Brooklyn AIDS Task Force; Economic Opportunity Council of
Suffolk; Long Island Association for AIDS Care; and Village Care of New York
-- collectively provide services to more than 12,000 persons with HIV/AIDS
each year.

CONTACT: Gail Barouh, Ph.D., LIAAC
631-385-2451
executive@liaac.org;

Sharen Duke, MPH, ASC
212-645-0875, x304
sharen@ascnyc.org;

Matt Lesieur,
212-337-5601
matthewl@vcny.org

SOURCE AIDS Service Center NYC

Gail Barouh, Ph.D., LIAAC, +1-631-385-2451 executive@liaac.org; Sharen Duke,
MPH, ASC, +1-212-645-0875, x304, sharen@ascnyc.org; or Matt Lesieur of Village
Care of New York, +1-212-337-5601, matthewl@vcny.org