For Immediate Release
Media Contact:
Justin Burke - 213.201.1525
EMAIL:jburke@apla.org
AIDS PROJECT
LOS ANGELES WELCOMES HIV RAPID TEST USE EXPANSION
Rapid HIV Test Now Administered Through Community
Based Outreach
Los Angeles, January 31, 2003 — AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA) applauded the approval of the expanded use of OraQuick, the rapid HIV test. Without this approval the tests could only be administered in laboratory settings. The OraQuick test is now accessible to family doctors, emergency rooms, as well as HIV prevention providers and publicly funded counseling and testing programs.
The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) “waived” the classification of OraQuick under the Clinical Laboratories Improvement Act (CLIA).
“This is great news. OraSure went the extra mile to ensure that OraQuick could be administered in a community-based environment by applying for the CLIA waiver. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson worked quickly to approve the waiver,” said Daniel C. Montoya, Director of Government Affairs, AIDS Project Los Angeles. “This expansion allows us to give immediate results and immediate information. If the results are negative, it is an opportunity for prevention education. If the test is positive the person has immediate access to counseling, care and treatment resources.“
Each year, 8,000 HIV-infected people who come to public clinics for HIV testing do not return a week later to receive their test results. With the new rapid HIV test, results are available on the spot in approximately 20 minutes. According to the Department of Health and Human Services. Widespread availability of the rapid HIV test is likely to increase overall HIV testing and decrease the number of people -- an estimated 225,000 Americans -- who are unaware they are infected with the HIV virus.
AIDS Project Los Angeles, which this year marks 20 years of prevention, advocacy and service, provides direct services to more than 10,000 men, women and children living with HIV and AIDS in Los Angeles County. Services include prevention education, food banks, professional dental care, housing assistance, mental health counseling and case management. APLA is a leader in the provision of bilingual HIV treatment information, in print and on the Internet, and advocates for effective AIDS-related policies and legislation on the local, state and federal level. For more information, please visit www.apla.org.
-APLA-
