Dueling Opinions about Testing
Recently, The Washington Blade ran an opinion piece by an HIV-educator who claimed that making HIV-testing a routine practice is a "flawed strategy". He talks about how cost-prohibitive this is ("we can't afford to test everyone...
HIV-Transmission rates continue to rise throughout the world.
The Mosaic Initiative, established in 2005, has a single vision: to stop the spread of HIV through programs like "Know Your Status". New treatments bring hope, and new technology makes testing easier than ever. More money is not the answer. Action is.
Approval of over-the-counter sales of HIV-tests (also known as "home-based, self-administered HIV-tests) is an important focus of our work. It's not just about tests. It's about empowerment - giving people options and letting people be responsible rather than dependent on others. It's about letting people get tested for as little as $8, instead of the current options that cost around $60, either out-of-pocket or insurance or tax dollars.
And we have the technology to do it, as this video shows:
(If this plays slow, you can also see this video here)
This is just one aspect of our work. We are committed to working with communities in Illinois, Washington DC, rural Kenya, and anywhere that doors open to stopping the spread of HIV. Modern technology gives us more options than ever to reach more people than ever. We welcome you to join us. Some simple things you can do:
Get tested. If you are comfortable, share with us your experience, including costs, paperwork, time, etc. We are collecting narratives as we promote changes so access is as easy as possible.
Know the Basics. As this video shows, these are often overlooked:
Advocate for approval of "over-the-counter" sales of HIV-tests. Tell others that this is available. Let's raise our voices for access.
Learn more about where the barriers lie, and what are the concerns that need to be addressed.