Two B.C. pharmacies will offer quick on-the-spot HIV tests as part of a Vancouver Coastal Health pilot project, the first of its kind in Canada, beginning this month in Vancouver.
Pharmacists at two Vancouver Medicine Shoppe pharmacies — one located at 2030 Kingsway Ave. and the other at 6180 Fraser St. — will offer customers an HIV test that takes only five minutes, the health authority said, in a statement Tuesday.
The pilot is run by Vancouver Coastal Health and Providence Health Care, which will determine whether the practice is feasible.
During the year-long pilot, pharmacists trained by HIV nurses from VCH and PHC will offer customers an optional HIV test for free. Each pharmacy is located next to a Pacific Medical Walk-in Clinic where doctors can provide support to patients and link them to care and treatment.
“B.C. is recognized as a global leader in the fight against HIV/AIDS and I believe that through bold action and smart investment we can remain leaders,” said Health Minister Terry Lake, in a statement.
“This pilot is another step forward and will go a long way to improve early diagnosis and save lives.”
Dr. Réka Gustafson, a medical health officer at Vancouver Coastal, said offering HIV tests at pharmacies helps normalize testing and reduces the stigma around it so that it’s more acceptable to people to get tested.
The pilot is funded through the provincial government’s Seek and Treat for the Optimal Prevention of HIV/AIDS program, which has an annual funding of $19.9 million. The HIV tests offered as part of the pilot will be free-of-charge to the patient.
Vancouver Coastal said the pilot will determine whether HIV testing in pharmacies can complement existing HIV testing programs.
