HIV Screening Program Proves Successful, Continues
More than 25,800 people have been tested for HIV as a result of a routine screening program for Ben Taub General Hospital’s emergency patients. Last year, Harris County Hospital District (HCHD) began testing all patients, ages 18-64, who arrive in Ben Taub’s emergency center and require blood lab work. The screenings have detected 178 newly diagnosed HIV-positive cases, representing a .65 positive rate since the program was implemented in August 2008. The testing program also reconfirmed the HIV status of 323 people who had not sought care for the virus.
