NYC hospitals to widely offer rapid HIV tests
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Why EDs are fertile grounds for HIV testing
Click here to read the article in H&HN.

NCCC compiles new map of state HIV testing laws
Click here to view the map.

NASTAD Releases Primer on Implementing HIV Testing in EDs
Click here to read the report. 

New findings are released on Implementing Routine HIV Testing: The Role of State Law
Click here to read the article.

HRET Discusses the Adoption of Rapid HIV Testing in Hospitals
Click here to read the new issue brief.

HRET Launches New Practical Guide on ED-Based HIV Testing
Click here to navigate the guide's web site.

Listserv on HIV testing in hospital emergency departments
To join this network of professionals to exchange ideas and gain new insights on ED-based HIV testing, please click here.

HIV Testing Links and Resources
Click here for links and resources relevant to HIV testing in hospitals.

Emergency rooms and urgent care settings present untapped opportunities to increase the number of people who learn of their HIV status.  In an era of treatment, diagnosing patients as early as possible and linking them to care greatly reduces HIV-related morbidity and mortality and increases quality of life for those living with HIV.  What is more: With the availability of rapid HIV tests, patients and their physicians can know their HIV status in as little as 20 minutes.

HRET’s work on incorporating routine HIV testing into hospital care focuses on how to help more hospitals adopt HIV testing programs in settings where they will reach patients who may not have other opportunities to be tested, particularly those who are uninsured or who lack a medical home, and where information on a patient’s HIV status will support and influence clinical decision-making. 

Through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HRET is developing information and tools that will guide hospitals through the process of implementing HIV testing programs in their emergency departments and other urgent care settings.  Currently, our team is in the field, conducting interviews and site visits with hospitals and health departments that currently perform rapid HIV testing.  We aim to understand how ED-based HIV testing programs are designed, implemented and funded in a variety of hospitals and to convey the lessons these hospitals have learned in implementation and operational development to those seeking to improve the availability of HIV testing and care in their own facilities and communities.

If you are interested in learning more about HRET’s HIV Testing Project or would like to be a part of a growing network of hospitals and health departments exchanging experiences and ideas around routine HIV testing, please contact Gretchen Torres, Principal Investigator, at gtorres@aha.org.

To read the executive summary that covers the findings of HRET's 2004 survey of U.S. hospitals, please click here.

To go to HRET's operational guide on implementing or expanding ED-based HIV testing, please click here.