Prevention · Education · Support · Referrals
Serving the mountain communities of Banff, Canmore, Kananaskis
Lake Louise, Exshaw and Morley
Free
condoms
are
available
at the
following
locations:
AIDS
Bow
Valley
The
Living
Room
Lube and
dental dams
are also
available
at the
AIDS
Bow Valley
office
302 Buffalo St.
COUNSELING SERVICES FOR HIV TESTING:
People who are going to be tested for HIV have the right to pre and post-test counselling. It is the responsibility of the clinic to assure that the proper counseling both before testing and afterwards are readily available.
Pre-test counseling:
- A person being tested for HIV must give verbal consent to have their blood examined.
- Each individual has the right to know what to expect if their results come back positive.
- Each person must have an assessment of the
risk of HIV infection
A careful assessment must be made of the window of time for an HIV test to be accurate after the potential for infection - Information around HIV and risky activities must be given.
- Information about ways to avoid or reduce risk must be provided
- Identifying testing options available in the region and differences between them
- Discussing record-keeping with respect to the test results and access to those records by other health-care professionals
- Discussing the advantages and disadvantages of testing so the patient has an opportunity to weigh these in the context of their particular circumstances
- Determining the timing of testing and the post-test visit.
Post-test counseling
- Communicating the test results
- Assessing the patients understanding of the result
- Assessing the need for follow-up care
- Discussing the importance of risk-reducing behavior of the test results
- Providing sensitivity to the patient whether the results are positive or negative.