For more than three decades, I’ve worked with individuals impacted by HIV/AIDS including at Portland’s AIDS Project, AIDS Lodging House and the Maine Centers for Disease Control. I’ve been devoted to raising awareness about HIV/AIDS and believe we need to support legislation being considered to broaden HIV testing in the state.

This legislative session presents an opportunity to do just that: The Maine Legislature is considering a bill, An Act to Advance the National HIV/AIDS Strategy in Maine by Broadening HIV Testing (L.D. 1736), on May 8. This legislation will increase access to HIV prevention drugs and testing through expanded healthcare coverage and benefit offerings. This bill will also protect Maine’s youth by allowing them to access HIV testing and treatment as a routine part of their medical care.

Solutions Oriented Addiction Response organizer Brooke Parker displays an HIV testing kit in Charleston, W.Va., on March 9, 2021.  (AP file photo)

As the state’s largest and leading nonprofit organization providing HIV/AIDS services, Frannie Peabody Center supports new legislation in the Maine State Legislature that will improve access to HIV prevention drugs and testing.

If this legislation passes, HIV testing will be broadened by:

● Offering HIV testing in emergency and urgent care settings

● Including HIV testing as part of a standard set of medical tests being provided for comprehensive sexually transmitted infection screenings

● Ensuring coverage for annual testing for everyone over age 13 through their health insurance plan

These changes are of critical importance because HIV/AIDS is still an epidemic. The virus doesn’t discriminate based on gender, race, income level, sexual orientation, age or gender identity – it impacts all populations. The Kaiser Family Foundation reports that more than 1.2 million people are living with HIV in the U.S. and there are more than 35,000 new infections each year.

More than 40 years into the HIV/AIDS epidemic, it’s important to remember that there’s still no cure for the virus. HIV/AIDS is not fading away. In many respects, the awareness, compassion and funding for those living with this disease have fallen to the wayside.

Annually, Frannie Peabody Center serves more than 400 Mainers living with HIV/AIDS throughout the state (from York to Fort Kent) and we perform more than 500 HIV tests. Over 30% of individuals seeking our community-based testing services have never been tested for HIV. We know these low-barrier testing services are a key part of the effort to increase HIV testing access, but we must do more, as a state, to ensure everyone is aware of their status and how to protect themselves.

L.D. 1736 will accomplish this by incorporating HIV testing into routine patient care, and reaching more people in urgent care settings that may not be aware of their risk or have access to primary care. On May 8, the Joint Committee on Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services in Augusta will be considering L.D. 1736. I urge you to contact your local representatives to express support for the expansion of HIV prevention drugs and testing.

HIV testing is important for both treatment and prevention efforts. This legislation is a positive step towards reducing the transmission rates in Maine and protecting our youth.