t

NUMBER OF HIV POSITIVE PEOPLE IN

COUNTY LIKELY UNDER ESTIMATED
Funding For More Testing Sites Proposed
BY TROY MAY

a proposal to discover the real number of
people in the county who are living with HIV.

The HIV infection

downtown San Jose in a county with 1.7
million people,compared with 40 sites
in San Francisco with less than half the

rate in Santa Clara

County could be three
times higher than

People often want to get an anonymous
HIV test because of the perceived stigma

population.

reported and public

associated with the disease. Santa Clara

health officials have

has one free anonymous testing site near

The lack of access to free anonymous HIV
testing could mean a lot of people in the
county are not getting tested. As of last year,
there were about 1,000 people in the county
who tested positive for HIV, but that number
could be three times higher, public officials
estimate.

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MODERN ITALIAN CUISINE

County supervisor James Beall has proposed
to allocate $375,000 in one-time funds for

the 2007 budget to establish aggressive HIV

testing and counseling services for at-risk
populations. Supervisor Blanca Alvarado
also supports the funding.
'The HIV pandemic continues to spread
throughout the world and Santa Clara
County is no exception," said Mr. Beall in a
report to the Health & Hospital Committee.
The funding would add four new testing
sites that are strategically located in areas
with populations at high risk of infection.
An unlimited number of free OraQuick tests

kits would be provided to the sites from
the State Office of AIDS. These kits provide
results in less than 30 minutes.

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'Even though this previously fatal disease
has evolved into a manageable chronic
condition when caught in its early stages,
there is new evidence that it is more

widespread in Santa Clara County than ever
before," according to the report.

The county report suggest as more people
continue to live with HIV due to excellent

drug treatments,"epidemiologists confirm
that the growing population of vectors

ff wuhvahdat
CONTINUED ON PAGE 60

58 outnowmag.com :: JUNE 2006 :: ON

mi

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from the Ryan White Care Act, a federal

m

program for HIV/AIDS services. As of January
2007,the funding allocation formula will be

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based on HIV case data rather than AIDS
case data.

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Aristo’s Mio Vicino!

The change in formula could result in a
reduction of 40 percent of more than

$3 million in Ryan White funds for the
county each year."Santa Clara County
has not accumulated the HIV case data to

substantiate this continued level of funding,
even though it is estimated that thousands

of county residents are living with HIV and
that the majority of them are unaware of
their infection," the report concludes.
The Crane Center at 976 Lenzen Avenue in

San Jose is the only site in the county that

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offers a free anonymous HIV test. But the
center is only open during regular business

hours, closed evenings and weekends. As a
result, it’s assumed the center isn't reaching
the target groups and less than 2 percent of
those tested at the center are positive.

Offer expires 7/7/06.
In February, the public health department

started to offer HIV testing one evening per
week at the Billy DeFrank LGBT Community
Center because 80 percent of the infection

rate is still in gay men.Since the program
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started,4 percent of those tested were

1140-8 Lincoln Avenue

positive, twice that at the Crane Center.

Willow Glen

Phone: 408-286-6027
Fax: 408-286-7480

oftransmission (people living with HIV)
will substantially increase the incidence

RESTAURANT & PIZZERIA

the community,"said Clark Williams, a San
Jose activist who lost his partner to AIDS.

oftransmission throughout the county
population."

The knowledge of one's HIV status can
provide several benefits. People who are

Over the years,there has been a less strong
of a voice and funding in the community for

HIV positive can get treatment that will help
keep them healthy, and the virus under

HIV/AIDS causes. In 2003, AIDS Resources

control.

and Information Services, a nonprofit
agency, went bankrupt.Then the economic

downturn during the last five years has
forced the county to cut $150,000 from
HIV/AIDS programs.

Many residents at high risk of HIV infection
such as gay, bisexual. Latino men and their
partners, substance abusers and sexually
active people are often unaware where to
go for a test.

"The testing services need to reach out into
the vulnerable populations and 'chase the

disease' rather than wait for people to come
through county clinic doors," Beall said.
The county funds would be used for the

department of health to conduct HIV testing
'When people know they are infected with
HIV they often change their sexual behavior,

and start having protected sex," says
Williams. "That's why I think it is important
to support HIV testing and counseling."

and counseling at locations where the most
vulnerable people are accessible. The best

way to reach the target population is to

allow community based organizations to
conduct the tests throughout the county.

'When ARIS went bankrupt a few years ago,
it left a gap. We lost a powerful advocate in

60 outnowmag.com :: JUNE 2006 :: ON

The proposed funding comes at a time when
the county is at risk of losing federal dollars

The proposal goes to the full board for a
vote in June. ON