Health News
Getting tested for HIV may soon be as easy as going to the pharmacy to get a flu shot or blood pressure check. Pharmacies in 24 cities and rural communities will offer rapid HIV tests free of charge as part of a $1.2 million program. Testing is already available in Washington, D.C., Oakland, Calif., and an Indian health service clinic in Montana. The remaining 17 locations will soon be chosen by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The test involves swabbing the inside of a person's mouth and preliminary results take about 20 minutes. Makers of the test say it is accurate 99 percent of the time. "If the test is positive for the AIDS virus, pharmacy employees will refer customers to a local health department or other health care providers for a lab blood test to confirm results, counseling and treatment," The Associated Press reports. "The workers are expected to deliver the news face-to-face and give customers privacy."
According to the CDC, there are about 1.1 million Americans who are infected with HIV, but up to 20 percent of them don't know they have it. Since 2006, the CDC has recommended all Americans ages 13 to 64 get tested at least once, but fewer than half of adults under the age of 65 have done so. (Read more)
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Federal officials said Tuesday that although detecting colon cancer early saves lives, only about two-thirds of Americans aged 50 to 75 have undergone recommended screening. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that men and women 50 and...
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Sinai Hospital?s Rapid HIV program is helping more Baltimore citizens learn their status. The program, which allows those in Sinai ER-7 to have a quick free test to learn whether they are HIV positive, recently received funding to continue for another...
- Blood Pressure Screening Next Week
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Health News
Pharmacies to offer free HIV tests as part of pilot program; no Ky. locations chosen yet
Getting tested for HIV may soon be as easy as going to the pharmacy to get a flu shot or blood pressure check. Pharmacies in 24 cities and rural communities will offer rapid HIV tests free of charge as part of a $1.2 million program. Testing is already available in Washington, D.C., Oakland, Calif., and an Indian health service clinic in Montana. The remaining 17 locations will soon be chosen by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The test involves swabbing the inside of a person's mouth and preliminary results take about 20 minutes. Makers of the test say it is accurate 99 percent of the time. "If the test is positive for the AIDS virus, pharmacy employees will refer customers to a local health department or other health care providers for a lab blood test to confirm results, counseling and treatment," The Associated Press reports. "The workers are expected to deliver the news face-to-face and give customers privacy."
According to the CDC, there are about 1.1 million Americans who are infected with HIV, but up to 20 percent of them don't know they have it. Since 2006, the CDC has recommended all Americans ages 13 to 64 get tested at least once, but fewer than half of adults under the age of 65 have done so. (Read more)
- Kentuckyone Health Is Offering Mobile Screenings For Risk Of Heart Attack And Stroke, And Cancer Prevention, For A Price
For a price, KentuckyOne Health is offering a new, mobile, preventive screening program at various locations around the state. Screening packages range from $179 to $347 and are designed to evaluate an individual?s risk of heart attack, stroke and cancer....
- Fda Reviews Alternatives To Colonoscopies To Screen For Colorectal Cancer, Including Mail-in, Stool-sampling Kits
The Food and Drug Administration is examining the possibility of two alternatives to colonoscopies for identifying tumors and growths in the large intestine. Kentucky ranks high in deaths from colon cancer, partly because people resist having colonoscopies....
- 1 In 3 Don't Get Potentially Life-saving Screening For Colon Cancer, Second Leading Cause Of Cancer Death In Ky. And U.s.
Federal officials said Tuesday that although detecting colon cancer early saves lives, only about two-thirds of Americans aged 50 to 75 have undergone recommended screening. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that men and women 50 and...
- Sinai-er Offers Rapid Hiv Testing
Sinai Hospital?s Rapid HIV program is helping more Baltimore citizens learn their status. The program, which allows those in Sinai ER-7 to have a quick free test to learn whether they are HIV positive, recently received funding to continue for another...
- Blood Pressure Screening Next Week
When is the last time you have had your blood pressure checked? High blood pressure can lead to coronary heart disease, kidney failure, stroke, heart failure, and other problems. High blood pressure is defined as 140/90 or higher. Blood pressure tends...