Rapid HIV Testing in Labor and Delivery in California

This three-year capacity building project targets labor and delivery departments in 120 California hospitals to implement HIV rapid testing with women presenting in labor with no previous documented HIV test or prenatal care. These women may be the hardest-to-reach populations who prefer to avoid contact with the health care system, such as migrant women, undocumented women, drug-addicted women, women who engage in sex work, and women with a child protective services history. Project components include:

• Curriculum development to train labor and delivery staff
• Development of materials (such as sample policies, procedures, patient education materials, consent forms, etc.) to support implementation of rapid testing
• Staff training
• On-going technical assistance to ensure policies are followed and antiretroviral prophylaxis medications are readily available when needed

The project uses a decentralized model, with implementation activities based at PAETC’s 11 local performance sites in California with oversight and management from PAETC’s Central Office at UCSF. This project is supported by a contract with the California State Office of AIDS, with CDC funds.