Know your status by Role Models

Know your status

Know your status

Georgia ranks among the states with the highest HIV infection the human immunodeficiency virus that causes AIDS rate in the nation. While the large, metropolitan areas of the state have the highest incidents of HIV infection, the LaGrange-Troup County region ranks quite highly.

People need to know that this is a high risk area, a high risk state, HIV is an equal opportunity disease and everyone is at risk, says Connie Beardsley, RN, who is in charge of HIV testing for the Pathways Center.The Pathways Center is sponsoring a testing event on Thursday, June 27 at the LaGrange Memorial Library as part of the National HIV Testing Day.

For Beardsley, HIV testing is so important that her business card sports the statistic that of the 1.1 million people living with HIV in the United States, some 200,000 do not know they are infected. Testing is the key to get a handle on this disease, she states.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended that everyone between the ages of 13 and 64 be tested every year. But Beardsley encourages older adults those 64 and older to get tested as they are now considered a high risk group. With older people living longer, that group is sexually active longer and with people losing spouses they are getting back in the dating scene, she continues.

The testing event at Memorial Library is the first event Pathways has sponsored as part of the National HIV Testing Day, an event that has been coordinated by the CDC for some years. This is part of a coordinated effort by the CDC to identify those who are infected in order to get them treatment and to lessen the rate of infection throughout the country.

Funded in part by a grant from Imagine Hope Inc., this event is part of the HIV Early Intervention Program and will provide free and confidential testing for anyone over the age of 18 wishing to be tested. The test being used Clearview Complete is a rapid blood test that provides results in about 15 minutes. The test checks for the two most common strains of HIV and is more than 99 percent accurate.

After a small and virtually painless poke of the finger, blood is collected in a small plastic tube. As the blood reacts with the test strip, a single line appears to show that the test is complete. If a second line appears, a further blood test is needed to confirm if the patient has HIV. A positive HIV diagnosis cannot be confirmed until the completion of the second test by a lab which may take 1-2 weeks.

But, warns Beardsley, if a patient has recently been exposed to HIV it may take up to three months for the antibodies to appear in a test.

Should the tests result in an HIV positive diagnosis, counselors will be on hand to help patients understand their diagnosis and provide them with advice on the steps needed for treatment. These patients can also be referred to the District 4 clinic in Newnan that provides treatment for patients with HIV and AIDS. Of the clinic, Beardsley says they boast that they don t turn anyone for lack of funds.

When pressed about the fear many people have to getting tested, Beardsley responds, We get that so much. I let them know that if they did have it, it will help to know. She continues, It is very treatable if found early. She points to retired basketball player Magic Johnson as an example of someone who discovered his HIV early. He s fine and healthy now, she says.

Beardsley and her team of nurses and counselors at Pathways Center provide free HIV testing throughout the rest of the year as well. The team has provided testing for a variety of groups throughout the region and she s this event will encourage further testing for groups and individuals throughout the region. I want my phone to be ringing off the hook, she adds.

The first annual event was in 2006 in a tallgrass prairie pasture in Chase Country. Each year, a different location has hosted the event. Fort Riley was chosen this year to help the fort celebrate its foundation 160 years ago in 1853. The fort was founded in the Flint Hills to protect the settlers and traders moving across Kansas to the west.

That's your history lesson -- let's get back to our trip. Not knowing what to expect,The smart card has a memory chip embedded in it that, we were happy to follow the leader. While we followed Steven on our way to Manhattan, we were in a one-way traffic line going 60 mph. I must have been too close to the construction side when my mirror clipped a big yellow barrier cone, popped the glass out (cost $375 to replace it after I got home). We made it to the motel without any more problems. I parked my car, and we rode with the kids from then on.

Friday evening, we ate at the Hy-Vee grocery store. They have a super-good food court -- many, many items to pick from. We ate family-style in their dining room; it was very good. Before we went back to the motel, we stopped at the DQ -- a mini frozen goodie really satisfies the craving for ice cream on a hot day.

Our granddaughter Andrea sent us wishes for a good time with a handmade and surprisingly clever card -- a never-ending card that you fold and fold and fold again, each fold brings forth something new. So neat.

The next morning, we studied the schedule for the day. The kids came prepared for everything. They brought sun tan lotion, insect spray, bandages, wet wipes, umbrella, rain gear, jackets, hats, water, snacks and seats.

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