subscribesubscriber servicescontact usabout ussite map
Sat, Nov 21 2009 

Published June 26, 2008 11:14 pm - ST. LOUIS — Pediatrician Ericka Hayes rarely sees new cases of young people infected with HIV at birth. But hardly a month passes when her clinic at St. Louis Children’s Hospital doesn’t take on a patient that has acquired the disease through unprotected sex.

Missouri: Adolescents, not parents, to decide on HIV testing



The Associated Press

ST. LOUIS — Pediatrician Ericka Hayes rarely sees new cases of young people infected with HIV at birth. But hardly a month passes when her clinic at St. Louis Children’s Hospital doesn’t take on a patient that has acquired the disease through unprotected sex.

Children’s next month will become by its account the nation’s first pediatric hospital offering free and immediate HIV testing to patients ages 15 and older. Results will be available within minutes.

But one aspect of the program is raising some eyebrows: The patient, not the parents or guardians, will decide whether to be tested. Likewise, it will be the young patient who gets the results.

“A lot of teenagers involved in high-risk behaviors won’t participate in the testing if the testing is not confidential,” Hayes said. “We really want to remove that from the equation and let the adolescent decide on testing for HIV. Otherwise teenagers engaging in high-risk behaviors often will not get tested.”

Peter Sprigg, vice president for policy for the Family Research Council, said the parents — not the kids — should be calling the shots.

“When it comes to medical care, the parent should have absolute authority over whether a child is tested and should be the first notified of the results,” Sprigg said. “There are states where you can’t get your ears pierced or go to a tanning salon without parental permission, yet you’re going to tell people they have HIV without getting the parents involved? To me, that’s outrageous.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2006 recommended routine HIV screening for people 13-64, and some hospitals have begun universal screening. But Hayes said the program at Children’s will be unique among pediatric hospitals. Also unique is the fact that the testing decision is left to the adolescent.

A 10-year analysis by Hayes showed a staggering increase in new behavior-related cases of HIV involving people ages 13-24. In 1997, there were 21 new cases diagnosed in St. Louis; in 2006, there were 54. And Hayes said there are likely many more teens and young adults with HIV who don’t know it.

Starting in July, adolescents who come to the Children’s emergency room — regardless of their injury or illness — will receive written information explaining the HIV testing. The patient will be asked privately if he or she wants the test.

If so, a swab of the patient’s gums will be conducted. Results should be back within 20 minutes. If the test is negative, the patient will be informed. If positive, a blood test will be given to verify the results. That preliminary blood test also takes about 20 minutes.

Good or bad, the patient will know the results of the test before leaving the ER, Hayes said. It will be up to the patient to decide if the news is shared with the parents, though he or she will be encouraged to do so.

“To go from your parents don’t even know you’re having sex to learning you have HIV in 20 minutes is a big jump,” Hayes said. “We’re going to help walk the family through it.”

The first step after a positive diagnosis is a no-cost visit to the hospital’s Pediatric HIV clinic. Hayes said counseling, education and help on how to disclose the diagnosis to relatives occurs at that visit.

Hayes acknowledges that in the case of a positive diagnosis the parents or guardians will eventually have to be informed because they are, in most cases, responsible for the bill.



print this story    email this story    comment on this story   

Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.


Add a comment on this story







autoconx
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide

Announcements



Click here to VOTE!!

Click here!!

: Special Offer For New Subscribers : 32 buy 1 get 1 free offers

Click Here!




Featured Jobs

EXPERIENCED TAX PREPARERS,
enrolled agents and CPAs. Make extra money after the holidays with very flexible scheduling and top pay working for the ...>MORE

TAX PREPARERS
needed in Joplin, Webb City, Carthage, and Neosho. Seasonal
FREE TRAINING
For more information, call 24 hour
...>MORE

TRAVEL U.S.A.
TRAVEL U.S.A. Publication sales company hiring 18 sharp enthusiastic individuals to travel the U.S. Travel, training, l...>MORE

WALLER TRUCK COMPANY
Waller Truck Company is now seeking Company and Lease Drivers. Call Recruting today at 1-800-821-2196 or apply today onl...>MORE

BODY TECHNICIAN
Carthage AUTO PLAZA is looking for a body technician/painter. I-Car certification is required. Come by and fill out an a...>MORE

LOCAL YARD WORK
1ST SHIFT
We are a specialized carrier seeking an individual at our Baxter Springs, KS location. Duties include F
...>MORE

OWNER OPERATORS
with equipment for truck and trailer, drive in or reefer. 624-2755...>MORE

DRIVER LONG HAUL
Driver, long haul or regional, for small Joplin company, home weekly, good pay and benefits, must have 3 years verifiabl...>MORE

CARE COMPANIONS FOR SENIORS
Care companions for seniors. CNA experience helpful but not necessary. Older workers please apply. Must be able to work ...>MORE

OPIES TRANSPORT
Opies TRANSPORT Now Hiring Over the Road Drivers with 2 years experience. 800-341-9963 www.opiestransport.com ...>MORE

See all ads

Featured Transportation

CHEVROLET 2002 EXTENDED CAB
CHEVROLET, 2002 Extended cab, lots of options, work truck, $5900 (417)483-1386....>MORE

OLDSMOBILE 2004 ALERO
OLDSMOBILE, 2004 Alero, 2 door, 72,000 miles great condition $5200 417-529-1657...>MORE

PONTIAC, 2005 AZTEK
Pontiac, 2005 Aztek, all wheel drive, V-6, 65,000 miles, DVD, great mpg, loaded, excellent condition. $9800/trade. 624-3...>MORE

VOLKSWAGEN 2006 CONVERTIBLE
Volkswagen 2006 convertible, 13,000 miles, perfect condition $15,500 206-6809...>MORE

FORD 2004 TAURUS
FORD, 2004 Taurus SES, V6, automatic, air, 56,000 miles, nice, $4800. 626-2277....>MORE

CHEVROLET 2002 AVALANCHE
Chevrolet, 2002 Avalanche, red, nice condition, $7250. (417)388-1399....>MORE

FORD, 1996 EXPLORER,
4x4, sharp, $1650
full power, cold air, must see. 437-4424.
...>MORE

1993 BLAZER, TAHOE
1993 Blazer, Tahoe, 4x4, full size, 2 door, needs engine, loaded, $1500. 208-6717...>MORE

SAAB, 1999 SE,
4-cylinder, convertible, all power, 74,000 miles $4800. 417-423-0125...>MORE

JEEP, 2007 COMMANDER,
loaded, 22,000 miles, $12,950. 417-781-1409, 529-5606...>MORE

See all ads

Featured Homes

2802 MASSACHUSETTS, JOPLIN
2802 Massachusetts, Joplin You won't believe the price! 3 bedroom, new central heat and air, new roof, appliances.. Cl...>MORE

525 E 41ST FOR SALE AT AUCTION
525 E. 41ST, Joplin, MO will be offered for sale at Auction
Saturday, December 5th 9:30 AM AAA Auctions Bob 417-
...>MORE

LEASE/PURCHASE
Executive Home, 4 br, 3 ba, 3000 sq. ft. on 5 acres. 605-521-0971...>MORE

OPEN HOUSE SUNDAY 1-5 P.M.
OPEN HOUSE SUNDAY 1-5 p.m. New construction, 3 BR, 2 BA, 3 car garage, newer neighborhood, mature trees, 3 minutes from...>MORE

ATTRACTIVE 4 BR ORONOGO
attractive, comfortable 4 br, 3 ba, 2-level, 2600 sq. ft. home. Greystone Subdivision, $194,900. 103 Jason Blvd., Oronog...>MORE

2 BR COTTAGE
2 BR COTTAGE, small but cute, all electric, small down, $450. Owner finance. 609 W. 15th. 417-439-4104....>MORE

3BR, ALBA
3 BR, 1 ba, 1 car gar, large fenced yard, Alba $550+ deposit. Hud ok 417-540-4674...>MORE

2 BR, 1 BA,
excellent location, 208 E. Lexington, Jasper, $325. (417)830-0873....>MORE

Deerfield Estates
in Carl Junction, prime building sites, reduced $10,000 each. 417-825-0052...>MORE

See all ads

Other Cool Stuff

PLASTIC LIGHT UP YARD
plastic light up yard decorations for all holidays! 620-362-3020 leave message....>MORE

BUY NOW,
small down, rest with tax return, vet checked/shots, small Chihuahua’s. (417)439-3647...>MORE

ROTTWEILERS
ROTTWEILERS,champion bloodlines. Dachshunds and Boxers. All AKC 918-784-2652, 918-541-8800...>MORE

KENMORE GAS RANGE
Kenmore gas range; G.E. portable dishwasher, $150 each; both are 3 years old (417)624-4546, (417)439-9740...>MORE

WHITE WICKER HENRY LINK SOFA
White wicker Henry Link sofa, Pier 1 wicker love seat and chair, Singer sewing machine in cabinet, large picture, floor ...>MORE

CLOSE OUT PRICES
close OUT prices on beads, jewelry, and Longaberger products. Bring this ad for 10% off beads and jewelry. Saturday, Nov...>MORE

1999 19' SUN CHASER
1999 19’ Sun Chaser, tandems, air, awning, sleeps 6, self contained. See at Community Mobile Park, Miami, OK. $5500 or b...>MORE

DOBERMAN PUP
Doberman pup, ACA, black/tan, male, 11 weeks, neutered. (620)922-3531....>MORE

YORKIE WORLD HOLIDAY SALE
Yorkie WORLD. HOLIDAY SALE Males $150-$250; females, $350 and up. 417-258-7171....>MORE

BULLDOGS-ADULT
Bulldogs- ADULT 4 female, 1 male, adult English Bulldog; 6 females adult French Bulldogs; ages 1-4; Cream/Brindle. 417-...>MORE

See all ads


 

Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.CNHI Classified Advertising NetworkCNHI News Service
Associated Press content © 2009. All rights reserved. AP content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Our site is powered by Zope and our Internet Yellow Pages site is powered by PremierGuide.
Some parts of our site may require you to download the Flash Player Plugin.
View our Privacy Policy
Advertiser index

 

 

The Joplin Globe Electronic Edition