Free HIV Testing Service in Florence

Lane Country Health Officials started a temporary free testing and counseling program, every Friday noon until 6 in the evening, to Coastal Residences in Florence due to the HIV outbreak.

Six new HIV cases have been recorded in Florence and the right neighboring area in recent months as identified in the country data. This is why the county health department is catering case reserve for the HIV Alliance to do the testing, counseling and referral help needed. The HIV Alliance is doing their best to lessen the spread of HIV with new home testing kits which can be ordered through email. These testing tools are free to anyone in Lane County, but professionals say that these services are limited in small communities like Florence.

According to The Register Guard, Peace Harbor Home and Hospice has been forwarded assistance, an HIV and hepatitis C testing center, by the concern Lane Country Department, Peace Health, which owns the Peace Harbor Medical Center in Florence, and the Eugene-based non-profit group. The current HIV Alliance staff including the volunteers can do the work on a temporary basis, but the county may need assistance from state health agencies to bring on full-time employment force if more HIV cases pop up, said ­Jason Davis.

The office and county are calling the new outbreak a ­ "was infected cluster." Though they are still finding facts, Yandel said it's very likely that an end was infected through intravenous drug use with an infected needle, and then passed on through unprotected sex with a partner who became infected and may have passed it to others according to NBC 16.

According to Davis and Yandel, many county residents do not exercise safe sex enough. Unprotected sex appears to be the leading transmitter in the HIV outbreak.

Now, there are still no walk-in testing clinics in Florence but hey are functioning with Lane County Public Health to set-up one at Peace Harbor Medical Center.