HIV test sites challenged by COVID-19 restrictions in Baton Rouge

For Scalawag Magazine, the COVID pandemic impacted rapid HIV testing and its impact on people living in high-risk.

The social distanced waiting room at BRASS, one of the only CBOs allowed to reopen with an approved COVID-19 mitigation plan. [photos by author, Alexander]

At Open Health Care Clinic (OHCC) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, fighting the spread of COVID-19 meant stopping service to people facing risks of a global epidemic: HIV. In March, the HIV service organization and community prevention clinic suspended rapid HIV testing following an order from the state. "Before this, we were testing Monday through Friday, 8 to 4 every day. It was free testing, so [patients] just come, and they get a point-of-care test and get a result in 20 minutes or so," said Dr. Yihong Zheng, Chief Medical Officer of OHCC. 

Though clinics are still allowed to perform traditional lab tests for HIV, the Louisiana Office of Public Health (OPH) suspended HIV testing contracts with community based organizations (CBOs) lacking dedicated clinics, and those that could not submit an appropriate COVID-19 mitigation plan or secure personal protective equipment (PPE). For six weeks, from the end of March to the end of April, only two clinics offered rapid HIV testing in Baton Rouge, as CBOs scrambled to create mitigation plans. As of this report, only two of eight CBOs have reopened for testing, and there is no timeline for lifting the OPH suspension. These factors contributed to a sizable drop in HIV testing in an already volatile, high risk region. 

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