New York, NY –
New York City is encouraging every adult in the Bronx to get tested for HIV. Although more people have HIV and AIDS in Manhattan, more die of AIDS in the Bronx, suggesting that it's being discovered too late to treat effectively. Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Frieden:
FRIEDEN: There's always a concern that if you prioritize resources to one place, that's going to say that that place has a bigger problem, but the reality is that Bronx and community leaders in the Bronx are taking the lead.
REPORTER: Starting tomorrow, caregivers in emergency rooms and clinics in the Bronx will begin encouraging adults to take the test. The Health Department has been trying to find ways to expand testing HIV testing within the constraints of state law. Frieden has been urging Albany to loosen a legal demand that people give written consent for HIV tests. Other states only require oral consent.
Fred Mogul has been covering healthcare and medicine for WNYC since 2002. His beat takes him to hospitals, community clinics, doctors offices, health agencies, public schools and research labs across the metropolitan area. His work has appeared on NPR and in the New York Times, Time magazine and Philadelphia Inquirer, among others.
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