HIV Testing Scheduled in North Adams

NORTH ADAMS — HIV testing will be offered at North Adams Regional Hospital on May 3 and May 17 at 1 p.m.

The service is offered on the first and third Thursdays of each month, and appointments are required. Those wishing to be tested should call (413) 447-2654 to make an appointment.

The HIV testing clinic is conducted in Suite 210 of the Ambulatory Care Center (the doctors’ office building) on the campus of NARH. Testing is confidential and can be anonymous. Clients must return in person to receive the results of testing, as they cannot be given over the phone or by mail.

The program targets high-risk individuals, including injection-drug users and their sexual partners, men who are having unsafe sex with other men, heterosexual individuals who are having unsafe sex with multiple partners, the sex partners of bisexual men, and individuals who are having sex under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

The program offers several other services as well. Testing for sexually transmitted diseases, including gonorrhea and chlamydia, and additional STD testing is available on a fee-for-service basis. Herpes serology testing to determine if an individual is infected with Herpes 2 is available for $21; most third-party payors cover this testing. Hepatitis C testing is available for $20; third-party payors usually cover this cost. Hepatitis A and B vaccine is available for at-risk individuals at no cost.

Jacqueline Roy-Elliott, director of the State Clinics at Berkshire Medical Center, will provide services. For more information, call the clinic office at (413) 447-2654.