New law allows Kentuckians to self-test for HIV

Ana Rocío Álvarez Bríñez, Louisville Courier Journal
·2 min read

Many bills passed during the 2023 legislative session go into effect on Thursday, including House Bill 349, which amends several previous statutes and adds provisions in favor of people with sexually transmitted diseases, including letting them donate skin and organs.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends people between ages 13 and 64 get tested for HIV at least once in their life and that people whohave risk factors get tested at least once a year.

Since the HIV epidemic started in 1982, thousands of cases have been reported in the commonwealth. Among men, 9,788 cases of HIV have been reported in men from Kentucky as of Dec. 31, 2021, according to a 2022 report from the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services Department for Public Health HIV/AID Section. There were 2,044 cases among women in the same time period.

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Here is what to know about the bill and what local organizations are doing to help:

What is Kentucky HB 349?

The bill signed by Gov. Andy Beshear on March 31, is an amendment to three Kentucky Revised Statutes:

  • KRS 214.430 is amended to "permit expedited partner therapy," according to the Kentucky legislature's website. This means partners of people with a sexually transmitted disease will be able to get the medications to treat the disease without having to wait for a diagnosis.

  • The amended KRS 311.990 will permit people with a sexually transmitted disease to donate organs, skins or other human tissue without it being a Class D felony.

  • KRS 367.175 was amended to let people see, deliver, hold or offer HIV self-testing kits.

The bill also adds a new chapter that says people can find out if they have HIV by performing a self-test.

What are Kentucky organizations doing with the new HIV law?

The Kentucky HIV Is Not a Crime Coalition − more than 10 organizations including Fairness the Campaign, Norton Healthcare, ACLU of Kentucky and the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation − will distribute free HIV self-testing kits on Thursday in Louisville and Lexington.

The coalition will distribute the kits at 11 a.m. in the VOCAL-KY parking lot, Fourth Street and Broadway, and at the Heyburn Building, 332 W. Broadway, in case of rain. The coalition will also give out kits at 1 p.m. at the AVOL Kentucky Office, 1824 Hill Rise Drive, Suite 100, in Lexington, a release said.

The coalition will also honor Republican Sen. Julie Raque Adams, from Louisville, at 11:30 a.m. in the Louisville stop and designate her as an HIV Modernization Hero.

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Reach Ana Rocío Álvarez Bríñez at abrinez@gannett.com; follow her on Twitter at @SoyAnaAlvarez

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky law allows self-tests for HIV, expedites STD treatment