Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
AIDS Task Force Inc., Fort Wayne, serves 11 counties in northeast Indiana.
Of the 11 counties, Kosciusko County has the second highest reported number of cases of HIV or AIDS, according to Kandace Kelly, AIDS Task Force director of outreach services.
There are 33 reported cases of HIV or AIDS in Kosciusko County. Last year, there were 29 cases, Kelly said. While some may not consider that a big increase, those numbers are only the reported cases. Only Allen County has more.
"You have a lot of (people) who are positive but don't know they are," Kelly said. It's estimated that 80 percent of people who are HIV-positive don't know they are positive and there are no symptoms for being HIV-positive, she said.
AIDS Task Force provides free anonymous and confidential HIV testing on the first Monday of every month from 2 to 3:30 p.m. through the Kosciusko County Health Department. Beginning Oct. 2, the testing will take place at 1000 Medical Park Drive, Suite B, Warsaw.
"We do the testing," said Kelly. "The AIDS Task Force serves 11 counties in northeast Indiana. We do the testing in 10 of the 11 counties. We don't do it in Allen County because the Allen County Health Department does theirs."
The task force offers the free anonymous testing, Kelly said, because, "trends are showing that where we are seeing increases (in HIV and AIDS) is in smaller communities like Warsaw ... and LaGrange."
She said in the small communities there are no places available for confidential testing, and people are usually not comfortable talking with their family doctor about it. She also said cost may prevent some people from getting tested at a health clinic.
"The risks are still there. People are still engaging in (risky) behavior in Warsaw," she said.
Kosciusko County not only has a good-size population, but also many lakes. Many "outside" people, some of whom could have HIV or AIDS, come into Kosciusko County for the lakes, and pass the HIV or AIDS along to Kosciusko County residents.
Kelly said there is also the mindset that HIV and AIDS is a disease only for homosexuals or drug users and that "it can't happen to me." But it can.
So who should get tested?
"People who are engaging in unprotected sex who aren't in a monogamous relationship. People who share needles ... including (for) insulin. HIV doesn't care about what a needle is used for, just that needles are being shared," said Kelly. Tattooing and body piercing where needles are shared is a cause for concern.
Blood transfusion is not as big as a concern as it once was because of safety precautions that have been taken.
Pregnant women who have never been tested also should get a test taken. Under new Indiana State Department of Health guidelines, obstetrics and gynecology practices must offer HIV testing to women. The testing is not required but must be made available.
"Testing takes about five minutes. It's not a blood test. It's an oral HIV antibody test (called Orasure)," said Kelly of the test AIDS Task Force provides. Tissue samples are taken. Tests look for the body's response to the virus, not the virus itself. The confidential test is then shipped off to a lab and is returned in two weeks. Like the rest of AIDS Task Force services, the testing is free.
If a person's test returns positive, the person can be retested if they want, but they are also referred to the AIDS Task Force care coordinator services who can offer free assistance.
Besides offering free testing monthly, the AIDS Task Force tested previously at the county jail. However, with the overcrowding of the jail, the task force is waiting until the new jail is constructed to get back in the county jail to test inmates.
Kelly said they try to focus on at-risk groups. They try to reach people in homeless shelters, alcohol/drug centers, abuse shelters and other centers. She said she isn't saying that all people in the centers or shelters are HIV positive, but they simply may be at a higher risk.
AIDS Task Force has been around, Kelly said, since 1985, but it was not until 1995 that the state broke the state into regions and the northeast region was created.
Of HIV/AIDS, Kelly said, "People need to be aware of it. If they're engaging in risky behavior, it can happen to them."
For more information, contact the task force at 800-417-3085.
