| HIV TESTING AND COUNSELING |
The Central Michigan District Health Department offers confidential and anonymous HIV testing at the
main office - 2012 E. Preston (corner of Preston and Isabella Road), Mt. Pleasant. Certified
testing/counseling personnel are available to assist those individuals requesting HIV testing.
Individuals interested in receiving an HIV test need to call: (989) 773-5921 ext. 8409 and make an
appointment. To assist you in planning your visit, it generally takes 25-35 minutes to
complete the required forms and to obtain a sample. The Central Michigan District Health
Department utilizes two testing methods that are equally reliable for HIV testing:
- Blood sample (finger stick)
- OraSure Testing (an oral test with no blood drawn).
For persons testing for the first time, the components of the initial visit are:
- Reviewing confidentiality policies of testing as established by the State of Michigan and Notice of Privacy Practices Act.
- Reviewing health information pertaining to HIV / AIDS.
- Completion of a risk assessment.
- Discussing and establishing a risk reduction plan (as needed).
- Obtaining a blood or oral fluid sample for testing.
The return visit consists of receiving the test result and clarifying any questions that the client might
have pertaining to the test, HIV/AIDS or STDs (Sexually Transmitted Diseases). Individuals who have
tested are instructed at the time of the initial visit that they need to call the health department to
make a follow-up appointment in order to receive the HIV test result. Usually test results are
available within 14 days. Follow up visits usually take no more than 10 minutes.
The Central Michigan District Health Department encourages individuals to receive an HIV test especially
if a risk indicator is identified. A risk indicator would be one or more of the following:
- People who have or had a sexually transmitted disease (STD)
- People who have shared needles or who have a history of any drug use, and those engaging in sexual
behaviors while under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.
- Men who have sex with other Men.
- Men or women who have unprotected sex with anyone whose HIV status is unknown.
- People who have had more than one sexual partner.
- People who have had sex with prostitutes (male or female)
- People who received blood products or blood transfusions between 1978 and 1985.
- People who exchange sex for drugs or money.
- People who are infected with tuberculosis.
- People who have had exposure to the blood of someone who may be infected.
- People who have had sex with any person from the above list, particularly with injecting drug users.
- Women who are pregnant
** If a woman is pregnant and has experienced one or more of the risk factors noted above she may be
infected and pass the HIV virus on to her unborn child while being pregnant, during delivery and
following birth through breast feeding her baby.
NOTE: A PERSON CAN HAVE HIV INFECTION FOR MANY YEARS WITHOUT HAVING AIDS OR LOOKING
OR FEELING SICK.
REMEMBER: THERE IS NO CURE FOR HIV/AIDS
ALSO: SOMETIMES A PERSON CAN HAVE ANOTHER KIND OF STD (Sexually Transmitted Disease)
WITHOUT ANY SIGNS OR SYMPTOMS. SOMETIMES THE SYMPTOMS GO AWAY ON THEIR OWN, BUT THE INFECTION
IS STILL THERE UNTIL IT IS TREATED.
Links:
AVERT-AIDS Education
www.avert.org
Center of AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS)
www.caps.ucsf.edu
CDC - National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention
www.cdc.gov/nchstp/od/nchstp.html
Kaiser Family Foundation - HIV/AIDS
www.kff.org/section.cgi?section=hivaids
SIECUS (Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States)
www.siecus.org/toc.html
The Body: An AIDS & HIV Information Resource
www.thebody.com/harvard/hardvard.html
UNAIDS
www.unaids.org
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