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HIV Rapid Test being administered
While you probably missed your chance to do it on the official day, June 27 is National HIV Testing Day— and, according to recent statistics for Santa Fe County and the state of New Mexico, getting tested is still a good idea.
Statewide, rates of new HIV infections among gay and bisexual men have been relatively stable, but rising rates of syphilis may signal that this could change. Gay and bisexual men and transgender people with male sexual partners account for most cases of both HIV and syphilis in New Mexico, according to the New Mexico Department of Health.
Santa Fe County also has a large concentration of people with HIV. Martin Walker, director of HIV Programs for Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, tells SFR that’s because Southwest Care Center here in town has been on the forefront of the prevention and treatment of the HIV epidemic.
“Santa Fe County has historically had a higher percentage of people living with HIV because more people move there for treatment. They are typically infected in Albuquerque and then move to Santa Fe,” Walker tells SFR.
The Southwest Care Center has seen an uptick both in the number of people coming in to get tested as well as asking for PReP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), which they say is a combination of getting the word out into the community better as much as people having an increased desire to come in and get tested.
From July 2018 to June 2019, the Southwest Care tested approximately 700 people for HIV and hepatitis C.
Luckily for Santa Feans, Southwest Care is just one of several places where you can get tested for HIV and other STDs for free or on a sliding scale, as well as get access to PReP, which research says can prevent the spread of HIV more effectively than most other options to date and make the disease untransmittable.
And yet, even with PReP more widely known and available, the populations most vulnerable to contracting and spreading HIV are still the last to get it, if they can get it at all.
Men and women of color are far more likely to have HIV than their white counterparts, and also less likely to be using PReP or have access to HIV treatment.
“Access is still kind of limited. The people that need to be on PReP aren’t really getting access to PReP yet. Some of that is because of the cost, but there are a lot of programs to help cover that cost,” Walker says. “We really need to be making sure gay men of color are getting on PReP, and more trans folks, too.”
In 2016 in New Mexico, the rate of Hispanic or Latino males living with an HIV diagnosis was 1.2 times that of white males. The rate of Hispanic or Latina women living with an HIV diagnosis is 1.3 times that of white women. The rate of black women living with an HIV diagnosis is 9.9 times that of their white counterparts, and the rate of black males living with an HIV diagnosis is 2.6 times that of whites.
Some of the obstacles to more people of color getting on PReP are a slow uptick among providers to provide PReP and misconceptions around cost. PReP is covered completely by Medicaid and by most insurers, but a lot of people don’t realize that.
Walker says Planned Parenthood is actively trying to reach the most affected populations and guide them through the system so that they can figure out how to afford PReP. Currently, users of PReP are mostly white gay men, according to Walker.
Those who don’t have insurance and who are income-eligible also have access to PrEP through Southwest CARE Center’s sliding fee schedule. Those who are uninsured or who do not qualify for financial assistance are still able to access medications through drugmaker Gilead Science, Inc.’s patient assistance program. The main obstacle then becomes transportation and access to office visits with providers and associated lab work that is required before starting someone on PrEP.
Southwest CARE also recently created a new position within its pharmacy, a PrEP navigator, which is a bilingual position that helps patients navigate the ins and outs of insurance to help make PrEP an affordable option.
The New Mexico HIV Guide a list of places in the city of Santa Fe or Santa Fe County to get a variety of HIV-related help, including testing and treatment, PReP and syringe services.
Southwest Care offers to exchange used syringes for clean ones, supplies sharps containers and some safe-injection supplies and also picks up rigs that people in the community find.
Santa Fe locations offer free walk-in HIV testing every Monday from 1-6 pm, as well as PReP. You can make an appointment on other days and times to get tested for free. The Planned Parenthood in town offers testing for $74 before tax, and offers PReP as well. Another option is to ask your primary care doc to conduct the test on your next visit.