Royal Inland Hospital will offer patients having blood work done the option of having an HIV test.
The program is part of an Interior Health Authority initiative to offer the tests.Seven IHA emergency rooms in the authority’s region are already offering the tests.
Research has shown 65 per cent of those living in the IHA area are diagnosed with HIV long after they become infected, impacting their chances of a full recovery.
Health Minister Terry Lake said the expanded testing is part of the provincial Seek and Treat for Optimal Prevention of HIV/AIDS (STOP HIV) program.
“Early diagnosis and treatment can reduce the number of new HIV infections in our region,” said IHA chief medical health officer Dr. Trevor Corneil.
“Treatments available today can suppress HIV to undetectable levels and that greatly reduces the likelihood of transmitting the virus to others.”
Maja Karlsson, STOP HIV program implementation leader, believes routinely offering an HIV test will help reduce stigma and reach people with no obvious risk factors, those who would normally have fallen through the cracks.
“Anyone who has ever been sexually active is at some risk of HIV, she said.
“A large portion of newly diagnosed patients don’t identify as ever belonging to one of the traditional high-prevalence populations. Getting tested for HIV provides reassurance for those who test negative and, for those who test positive, it provides an opportunity to access life-saving treatment.”