New cases of HIV infection in Butler County
2009: 18
2010: 18
2011: 21
2012: 10
2013: 27
Total number living with HIV in Butler County
2009: 227
2010: 243
2011: 263
2012: 273
2013: 300
Source: Ohio Department of Health
The number of sites for free HIV testing in Butler County will increase later this year.
The Middletown Health Department for the first time was awarded $10,000 to conduct free and confidential HIV testing in 2015.
The grant is a portion of $427,317 in federal funds given each year to Public Health - Dayton & Montgomery County to support HIV testing in southwest Ohio, said Joyce Close, bureau supervisor of communicable diseases at Public Health - Dayton & Montgomery County.
The Dayton health department receives the larger grant through Ohio Department of Health, and in turn awards contracts to health departments in the six-county region of Butler, Warren, Preble, Montgomery, Darke and Miami.
Other agencies that received funds for HIV testing and education in Butler County were $6,000 to Planned Parenthood and $10,000 to AIDS Resource Center Ohio to test in Butler and Warren counties, according to Close.
Joel Diaz, spokesman for AIDS Resource Center Ohio, said their testing in Butler and Warren counties will only be for men who have sex with men, which is the population at highest risk for HIV. Diaz said since the resource center doesn’t have a physical location in either county, they will partner with community organizations to conduct the testing.
Jackie Phillips, health commissioner in Middletown, said her department decided to go through the appropriate training to start offering HIV testing after learning the Butler County Health Department would no longer be a site for the testing.
“We were afraid there would be no HIV testing,” Phillips said.
There were 300 people in Butler County living with HIV in 2013, according to the most recent figures from ODH. That rate has increased 32 percent since 2009 when there were 227 people living with HIV.
Across Ohio, about 19,550 people had HIV in 2013.
About two hours away in Scott County, Ind., public health officials have been dealing with an outbreak of HIV.
Over 80 people who either live in Scott County or have ties to the area have tested positive for HIV — 74 of which are confirmed and seven are preliminary positive HIV cases. The area typically sees only about five HIV cases each year.
“It just shows how quickly HIV can spread with IV drug use. It’s important to continue testing in that population and keep educating,” Close said.
Phillips said she hopes to have HIV testing available in Middletown by June. She said there’s also been talk of a needle exchange program in the future.
“We’re seeing higher numbers of HIV,” Phillips said.“We’re trying to be more proactive. We don’t want to be in a situation like Scott County, Indiana.”
Phillips and a part-time nurse at Middletown’s health department are currently undergoing training with ODH and Public Health - Dayton & Montgomery County. They will attend a mandatory two-day training in June in Cincinnati on items such as lab testing and HIV counseling.
Phillips said if caught early, HIV can be managed with medication to prevent the development of AIDS.
“People are living 20 to 30 years with HIV now,” Phillips said.
Close said the grant funds help cover the cost of test kits from the ODH that make preliminary results within 20 minutes. If the results are positive, a confirmatory test is needed by blood.
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