Southern Seven offers HIV prevention, treatment, support

June 27 is National HIV Testing Day – an annual occasion with a goal of encouraging people to get an HIV test, to know their status and to get linked to care and treatment if they have HIV.  

The theme for this year’s observance, Doing it My Way, Testing for HIV, serves as a reminder that each person has his or her own reasons why they test for HIV.

On June 19, Southern Seven Health Department began offering HIV PrEP medication services at its Cairo clinic for those at risk of contracting HIV.  

The service is available to anyone living in Alexander, Hardin, Johnson, Massac, Pope, Pulaski, or Union County in Illinois.  

The health department explained in a news release that PrEP stands for Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis.  

This is prescribed as a once-daily pill to provide protective traits against the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, HIV, infection in people who are HIV-negative and at high-risk for acquiring the virus.

Approved by the FDA since 2012, the medication has seen a slow uptake in rural communities, which are less likely to have access due to multiple barrier reasons like availability and financial complications or insurance coverage and other factors. 

Medication usage is determined by a physician during an appointment at Southern Seven Health Department.  

The process consists of sexual history and risk analysis, testing for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, STD, checking of blood and organ levels to ensure there is no sign of kidney/liver failure or complications that would constitute a candidate to be non-eligible, and a face-to-face visit with a physician utilizing telehealth. If approved, the patient will receive the medication through the mail.  

Telehealth, which is similar to a video conference call, is used with SIU School of Medicine’s telehealth department, and their internal medicine provider(s).  

Utilizing telehealth allows Southern Seven the ability to tap into the resources and expertise of SIU not available locally.  

The health department said that currently in Illinois, there are 35,441 people living with HIV.  

Alexander, Pulaski and Johnson counties are all considered high-rate HIV prevalence, or the number of HIV positive cases in the county.  

In 2015, Alexander County was the second highest in the state, behind Chicago/Cook County, with approximately 342 per 100,000 people. 

The project was funded in part by the Telligen Community Initiative to initiate and support, through research and programs, innovative and farsighted health-related projects aimed at improving the health, social well-being and educational attainment of society, where such needs are expressed. 

Funding was granted to the Department of Population Science and Policy at the SIU School of Medicine in Springfield, which provided the telehealth equipment and physicians. 

Those who want to learn more about PrEP, or to schedule an appointment, can contact the Southern Seven Health Department in Cairo at 618-734-4167 or visit the office at 3014 Elm St., Monday through Wednesday, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The Gazette-Democrat

112 Lafayette St.
Anna, Illinois 62906
Office Number: (618) 833-2158
Email: news@annanews.com

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