[ Golden Gater Online - October 2, 1997 ]
Carolina Wolohan Jr.
Staff writer
The first federally approved at-home HIV test kit, advertised at the CampusLink information center, is not endorsed by the director of SF State's HIV testing program.
With the Home Access HIV test kit, test results -- both positive and negative -- are given over the phone. But Katie Huang, director of HIV education and testing services for the Student Health Center, questions whether people suddenly faced with a life and death situation will get the support they need over the phone.
"We are quite concerned with the counseling, whether it's adequate or not," Huang said. "We are not endorsing that product or service."
The test kit can be purchased by telephone at the CampusLink center, located in the Cesar Chavez Student Union, or over the counter at drug stores.
The packet includes a four-step process in which you fill out a telephone survey, take a blood sample, ship it to a lab and dial in for your results.
"If a result is positive, a person could hang up the phone and go kill themselves," said Huang. "HIV is disease of behavior and if you don't modify behavior, you're still at risk. Testing is only one component."
But experts disagree that at-home testing and phone counseling are inferior to clinic testing and face to face counseling.
"Some people may find it even more comfortable to talk on the telephone," said Jeff Stryker, a research scientist at San Francisco's Center for AIDS Prevention Studies.
Stryker said the most important issue is that people get tested, and get tested early.
Home Access is the only at-home test kit approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and there has recently been an FDA crackdown on fraudulent kits.
The FDA requires 80 hours of training for Home Access telephone counselors.
"All of our counselors are trained in drug abuse, cultural diversity, domestic violence, and we have referrals in all of these areas," said Kevin Johnson, a spokesperson for Home Access.
Johnson also disagreed that face to face counseling is superior to phone counseling.
"Sometimes, people don't go to health clinics because of face to face counseling," said Johnson. "It's just another barrier."
"At health clinics, there is nothing you can do if a client gets up and walks out," added Johnson. "Our counselors try to counsel them out of hanging up. But if they do, they can always call back."
Joe Wright, health community educator at the San Francisco Department of Public Health, said he believes that at-home testing may help people get tested who otherwise wouldn't. But he also pointed out that San Francisco has a lot of anonymous testing services available.
For $9, Student Health Services offers anonymous testing, which includes counseling, a blood sample and lab work. The Home Access Express, which gives you the results in three days, is sold for $39.99. The regular Home Access kit, which gives results in about a week, sells for $49.99.
"From a San Francisco State student perspective, people might want to think about what it would mean to get a positive result over the phone," said Wright. "Think about that before making a choice."
[ Golden Gater - October 02, 1997 ]