The Bureau for Public Health, in collaboration with local and federal partners, is responding to an increase in newly diagnosed cases of HIV among persons who inject drugs (PWID) in West Virginia. Public health partnerships, expanded HIV testing, early diagnosis and linkage to care, harm reduction services, and initiation of or referral to substance use disorder recovery as applicable are all critical to preventing and addressing HIV in the community. Thanks to new and better treatments, people with HIV who remain in care are now living longer – and with a better quality of life – than ever before.
HIV testing should be included as part of routine care using an opt-out-approach. Increasing HIV testing in West Virginia is critical to identifying infections early and getting people into care and treatment. According to state law, verbal consent is sufficient. This may occur in the context of overall care, for example: “As a part of routine laboratory screening tests for your health, we are going to test for syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, hepatitis, and HIV,” is acceptable. Alternatively, if a patient’s general consent for receipt of medical care includes consent for HIV testing, then prior written consent has been obtained and a test may be ordered. Moreover, HIV test results should be maintained with the same level of confidentiality as all protected health information, and no special treatment is needed. Entering HIV testing results in a note or laboratory section of a medical record does not violate the confidentiality of records clause (§16-3C-3).