Some concerns with this law are, what about the people that don’t go to the doctor? How are the numbers accurate? Also, there is a concern with the law stating that they are obligated to tell their partner. Although I personally agree with this law, it could increase incidence of domestic violence in cases where one partner tells the other. In cases like this are states going to increase domestic violence clinics? Another concern is the law that was passed in New York in 2000 where people who are reported to the state must be named. To some people this may be an invasion of confidentiality. If I or someone in my family contacted HIV I would be ok with it being reported but I would feel a little nervous about my name being used because I fell as though yes, I should be counted but my name shouldn’t be used because if I am not sexually involved with a person or if the person will not come in contact with my blood then why is it their concern?  

Yes, I do believe that not telling your partner should be a criminal law. Mainly because its morally wrong and I believe it should be up to the partner if they still want to have sex with the other or not. As well as the fact that there are medications and other methods of safety that the partner can take so if they do decide to proceed in intercourse they can be safe about it. The argument is that if the infected person does say something they fear that their partner will not want to stay in the relationship or will not want to ever proceed I intercourse with the other. BUT if the infected person loves the other that shouldn’t matter. For those that are aware they are infected and are just going around having one-night stands and not caring about anybody else since no feelings are involved deserve to be charged as rapist, the other person is not aware they have the disease and most likely would not have proceeded in intercourse if they did. 
Jailene Rodriguez

      When providing patient care to a patient with HIV or AIDS autonomy, beneficence, and nonmaleficence are three basic guiding principles. By demonstrating autonomy, a nurse will respect the patient’s wishes regarding their HIV status regardless how the nurse feels about the situation and continue to provide quality care. A nurse practicing nonmaleficence would maintain a competent knowledge of the skills needed to holistically care for a patient diagnosed with HIV. Changing soiled linens, assisting client in meeting nutritional needs and providing adequate analgesia show the principle of beneficence. 

      One thing that concerns me regarding this law is that people may avoid testing because they are scared their HIV status would be leaked to the public. A person may feel their positive status would make them ostracized at work or lose personal relationships. Also a lack of knowledge regarding HIV could make infected individuals feel isolated regardless of who knows they are positive.  This combination could deter an individual from getting tested and in turn increase the amount of newly infected individuals. 

      Another concern I have is that there is not enough emphasis on how the children of people who are diagnosed with HIV will be cared for. Not necessarily medically, but emotionally. The impact a diagnosis like HIV can have on a family is astronomical. These children may have to prepare for the loss of a parent, or need help coping with seeing their parent sick. I believe there should be plans or programs in place that give children a safe haven to vent and just be a kid! 

      If someone is HIV positive and knowingly exposes someone to the virus without disclosing their positive status, I believe it should be a criminal offense. The infected person is denying the other party the right to make an informed decision. Safe sex practices should always be used when engaging in sexual activity, but I think that intentionally withholding potentially life threatening information is an intentional tort and should be punished as such. 

My outlook on this law from a nurse's perspective of having patients with this disease is that I think having to report HIV early on rather than previous laws that stated having to wait to be diagnosed with AIDS in order to be reported will result in a better outcome for people diagnosed with HIV as well as those people that have contacted this disease, by giving them the option for early treatment ,also being able to determine the population that is most affected and figure out a way for better prevention, also financial funds are made more available to certain places based on these results. I don’t agree with the part of the law that states an HIV positive person doesn’t have to identify partners names that may have been exposed. I believe that everyone should have the right to be notified if they were exposed. I think it should be a mandatory expectation because it can cause do harm to others and prevents them from being able to seek early treatment. This can also put other people at risk since there partners are unaware they may have this disease they may unknowingly expose their current partners. 

My outlook on this law from a personal perspective, if a family member, or I, were to contract HIV, is that I would still agree with it being mandated to report HIV diagnosed people. My opinion slightly changed regarding having the right to not disclose partners names, because there is a possibility for a breach in confidentiality. If someone who is HIV positive had only one other sexual partner, then even if their name was not disclosed to them, there's a possibility they can figure out who exposed them to HIV. I also understand that if this were to happen, the person diagnosed with HIV may feel ashamed or scared. They may become a victim of domestic violence due to this. They may be harassed or looked down upon by family members. If this were my family member, I would understand their unwillingness to say their partners' names. 

 

The two major concerns I have with this law are that there would be a lack of medical personal trained to treat people with HIV, or not enough clinics available, or financial resources, causing people to not seek help, and not get the adequate care or teaching that they need. Another concern related to HIV is discrimination, negative attitudes and abuse directed at people living with HIV and AIDs. Discrimination may occur in healthcare settings, preventing people from accessing healthcare services. Others may face poor treatment in educational and work settings and physiological damage. This may prevent people from getting HIV testing and treatment. 

As a Nurse I do believe it should be a criminal offense to not disclose exposed partners because of the risk of transmission to others and there partners not being able to receive early treatment. 

I do believe that healthcare workers have the right to have HIV exposed individual's information disclosed to them if they are caring for this individual because of the risk of exposure. I do understand that standard precautions should be taken as if everyone had a diagnosis of HIV, but with this precaution just in case of accidental exposure to get required treatment immediately I feel as if it should be mentioned to healthcare workers. I do understand that with this information there may be healthcare workers that may treat these individual differently, although this shouldn’t happen it is a possibility that it could which is why I understand why it isn't mention often. 

The two major concerns for me with this disease is I would like to know if my partner has HIV even though it would be hard on me. At first, I would probably feel like this is turning my world is turning upside down with this news of this life changing disease that was gifted to me with, then later on I would learn to be strong since I don’t have a choice now. I would try to live my life happily as the best that I could with my partner. I will show an appreciation of him for telling me about the disease even though it may be too late. I would encourage him to inform his other sexual partners if he had any, so it can be prevented from increasing the number of people that would be infected. That way knowingly or unknowingly he would prevent other people from getting infected with this disease. The biggest concern for me with passing this law is for those innocent sexual partners who have HIV, it is because that if that person were to get sick with flulike symptoms or other minor problems, he or she would ignore it and stay home without going to see the doctor. Which could lead to being life threatening if it is unknown that they are already exposed to it. Since HIV people are immunocompromised, they are at higher risk of coming in contact with infectious diseases. If the partner is unaware that they are contacted with this disease, they won't be able to take necessary precautions. So, I feel like this partner had the right to know what their sexual partner has and if they are exposed with HIV so they can take extra precautions with their health. On the other hand, an infected person may feel embarrassed, ashamed or scared to tell their partner or probably guilt from gifting them with this incurable disease. So, with this guilt, an infected person will isolate themselves from their loved ones which could lead to depression or suicide. Domestic violence could be the result of not releasing this information in the beginning of the relationship. 

I think it should be a criminal offense, in order to see the decrease in numbers of people affected with HIV in the community. Infected people should be obligated to tell their sexual partners of their disease so they can be tested for it and can take extra precautions if they have it. They should be required to tell their new sexual partners that they have HIV and let them decide whether they want to have protected sex or not this way we can have a decrease in the number of HIV infected people in the community, city, state and country. 

From a nurse’s standpoint, I want to be aware, if I am working with patients who have HIV. Not only for their protection but for mine as well. I want to do a full assessment and these people need specific meds and certain treatments, and tests, and we want to prevent full blown AIDS. Being in the medical field you know to take standard precautions regardless, but I, as a mother, want to make sure that I am extra careful and that whatever I come in contact with, stays at work and not with my family or in my home. Although I know the routes of transmission, you are always at risk for accidental exposure.

HIV is a life changing virus, and people need to be instructed on nutrition, and testing, change of habits, and precautions, as well as transmission. So many people are misinformed or just uneducated about this topic, and that alone, can stop people from reporting. Making it one of my main concerns about passing the law. People may feel like reporting is not going to remain confidential. I feel like people need to be educated younger and maybe including information about this law in school health classes, is a good idea. If you are discussing HIV prevention and the spread of HIV, you should also address the steps that need to be taken for those that are at risk. Another concern would be accountability. With mandatory reporting, it is very easy to play the “blame game”, and we need to encourage people to focus on the bigger picture, which is everyone’s health.

If it were me, or someone I loved, first and foremost, I would want them to have access to as much information and resources as possible. I, myself, would need some time to let it sink in but would make my family aware as well as answer as many questions as I could, to ease some of their concerns and clarify some common misconceptions and HIV stereotypes. I would not want to be judged! Although, when you first hear HIV, it's hard not to be judgemental, but you have to put yourself in their shoes, especially as a nurse, feelings aside, once you walk into that room, the patient receives care like anyone else would. All in all, I agree with the law, and I feel like it is a step in the right direction as long as people are well informed about it.

Nichole Fleisch

Everyone has their own opinion about HIV and AIDS and the laws that go along with it. The recent law that was passed in 2000 was a great decision in my opinion. Before receiving this assignment I personally never knew that there was a law about telling your sexual partners about having the disease. My stance as a nurse vs my stance personally if myself or my family contracted the disease I think might very a little bit. It all depends on the situation and who it is effecting. 

First I will talk about my professional stance from a new nurses point of view. When I work as a nurse and possibly encounter a patient or resident with the disease, I will be ok with it. As nurses we are supposed to treat everyone with the same respect and have a non judgement approach. As a nurse I will want my patient or resident to be able to trust me professionally. When or if I met someone with this disease I would want them to be honest and willing to share thoughts and feelings because holding something in as important and scary as it is could be damaging to your self-esteem and their thinking process. I would be make sure as a nurse that I make my trust and confidentiality a priority with the patient known. I would make them feel comfortable and reassured that as nurses we will not judge and or make fun of or treat them differently. Another thought I have is that as nurses we know what standard precautions are and thinking about this disease, it is when I think the standard precautions are of utmost appreciated. It is extremely necessary to follow the standard of precautions for every patient no matter what. Trust no one is my attitude towards this. This attitude as a nurse will most likely for sure keep me safe when on the job. 

Second, my stance personally on HIV and having to report it to the state and to their sexual partners may differ. If someone from my family or myself would contract the disease of course I would become very livid. Going through life thinking you are fine and the next you contract HIV and were not told, I do not know how I would react. I guess the people that may have it and gave it to my family member or myself may have not known. Since the law was passed, that is great but now it has me thinking. My two biggest concerns about having the law passed are that less people have gone to the clinic and or doctors to get tested because they are just more afraid and would not like having to tell their sexual partners about what they have. Another concern is that people will not take treatment seriously.  It sure would be embarrassing to have to do something like that. Also, my family, friends and myself should be educated and know to use condoms with anyone you sleep with, kind of like the standard precautions. But if I was in a committed relationship with someone and they knew they have HIV and didn't tell me I personally would want them charged with a criminal offense yes. You are supposed to trust your significant other and have no secrets. Some may chose to stay because they are so in love, but others would feel that the person infected with the disease had trapped them. I would feel trapped. 

Lastly, the lack of reporting HIV sexual partners should be a criminal offence, IF they knew about it. I guess in some or possibly in many cases people do not know they are infected. That is actually very scary to me thinking about that. Since they claim it is not as deadly as it once was because of treatment and such medicines people feel the need to not tell.  I think they should get charged with something especially if they knew. 

THE END. BY: NICHOLE FLEISCH 

By: Tanya Cagnetti

Olivia White

In 1983 the Human Immunodeficiency Virus was discovered to be present in the United States. HIV which causes AIDS interferes with the body’s ability to fight infections. The virus attaches to the CD4 cells, infects the cells, then uses them as a place to multiply. When the cells become infected they are no longer able to do their job in the body for the immune system. HIV is transmitted through contact with infected vaginal fluids, semen, and blood.  Although this virus is asymptomatic until it progresses to AIDS, flu like symptoms may present within a few weeks of becoming infected. It is for this very reason infected individuals go years without knowing they have acquired the virus.  Screening is of greatest importance because there is no cure. Anti-retroviral therapy is used as treatment to slow the disease process, prevent secondary infections and additional complications in hopes to prolong life. 

On June 1, 2000 the New York State HIV Reporting and Partner Notification Law became effective. This law requires that individuals who test positive are named in reports to the Health Department by physicians and laboratories. It also requires that physicians report known partners of the infected individuals. However, individuals who test positive are not required to name partners due to partner notification. This plan was implemented to protect individuals from intimate partner violence, which is something that concerned me about the passing of this law. I feel that for many clients if their partner did not have a partner outside of their relationship the client is not truly protected.  This alone is a breech in confidentially which is my second biggest concern. Everyone has the right to know their status so that they can be treated, but clients should not be told testing and results are confidential if they truly are not. The law includes that clients would be assured that their name would be held in confidence when their sexual and needle sharing partners are contacted by the Health Department, but from my perspective the client is still at risk for intimate partner violence.  A positive thing about this law is that resources are made available for both the client and his/her partners which includes testing, treatment, counseling, and education of the disease process. 

Health care professionals are trained to use a set of infection control practices to prevent transmission of diseases that are acquired by contact with blood, mucous membranes, open skin, and bodily fluids called standard precautions. We also have universal precautions which treats all human blood and bodily fluids as if they were known to be infectious for HIV, HBV and other blood borne pathogens. As a nurse I would strive to provide a standard of care that is non-maleficence. To be successful at doing so, I need to know my clients needs so that I may provide safe and effective care. For individuals whom are immunocompromised it is important that nurses are not only concerned with protecting ourselves but take a holistic approach to medical care. This allows us to consider the clients psychological and psycho-social needs, rather than just the physical symptoms of the disease.  

If I were positive I would want to know so that I could be treated and slow the progression of the disease. I imagine knowing would be a psychological detriment but beneficial to my health in the long run. I feel that the lack of reporting HIV infection to a partner should be a criminal offense because you are knowingly allowing this disease to continue to spread and left untreated.  I would hope to have safety measures in place if this were to lead to violence but trust that anyone in their right mind would be more concerned with treatment. I don’t completely agree with everything this law has in place, but I do think that it is the right thing to do. I hope that communities are continued to be educated on diseases so that the people can take preventative measures and get treated if they were to test positive. Treatment could very well be the beginning to a new end. 

 

 

I have a family member who is HIV positive. I still believe it is rightful to have everyone reported. I didn’t know he was positive for HIV until about a year ago. I did notice he takes precautions of spreading disease. He told me that he goes to a support group. Due to being tested, he early detected the disease and it did not progress to AIDS yet. It has been over 10 years since he was diagnosed with HIV. 

One of my two biggest concerns regarding mandating would be that the patients start to worry to be tested because if they are positive, then people would know. I believe in a way that it is breaking a breach of confidentially, but at the same time we are doing the right thing. My second concern would be the reporting person not reporting who they had sexual contact or shared needles with during drug use. If we know that one person has HIV/AIDS, how will it help us, help others who may be affected? I think we should make it mandatory for a reported person to tell who they may have exposed.

With that being said, I feel as if not telling your sexual partner or people you share needles with, that you are positive for HIV/AIDS, you should be committed of a criminal offense. In my opinion, it is like putting a death sentence on an innocent person. Yes, there are ways to prevent yourself from getting this disease. But, It is withholding very very important information and “purposely” infecting someone with a disease that slowly kills you. I’m sure if someone were to tell somebody that they are HIV positive,  the other person would either not engage in the behavior or use precautions to NOT expose themselves to the disease. 

One of the concerns of the law is criminalizing for non-disclosure may scared and discourage people not to get tested . HIV infections occur more from people who do not know their status and are not on treatment plan. People who are spreading the virus knowingly  are  avoiding jail time and when that happens, the rates of HIV rise. Similarly there is another concern that HIV infected patient in the contact notification of a spouse or other  person who has been exposed to HIV may have to face  violence. This can be prevented by strong law enforcement, and consulting them through organizations who works to protect them from potentially violent situations. As a nurse I would take proper assessment to find such domestic violence if there is any.

Since nurses are directly involved in caring the HIV/AIDS patient from day one, there is hundred percent chances of getting infected if precaution are not taken. As  we know these disease is  not only transfer form  sexual contact but also  by exposure to the infected blood, so as a nurse I will  be  carefully apply all standard and special precaution while handling them. Also to protect themselves from patients, all health care workers must use precautions with all patient , to prevent the spread of blood borne pathogens, such as HIV. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the use of examination, procedure or surgical gloves as a barrier to such diseases, as well as other sterilization procedures. Health care workers should know their HIV status as well as the status of their patients. But you must keep your patients’ HIV status confidential. Health care workers who know that they are HIV infected and who perform certain invasive procedures must take steps to avoid transmission to patients. If I had the infection , I would cooperate to be tested and being reported and undergo the treatment. To make a meaning living rest of the remaining life I would rather work on organization who help educating people and encouraging people to get tested if they are suspicious , because HIV used to be considered a “death sentence” long time back but today with proper treatment, HIV is a chronic, manageable disease and those with HIV can expect to live a full, healthy life. This post is brought to you by Parsu Luitel

My two biggest concerns regarding the passing of the law is that as I stated from my personal experience is that the law will deter the public to get tested knowing that they will be placed in a database stating their medical history.  I have never lived through a serious epidemic such as HIV/AIDS.  If this law had been implemented in prior epidemics like the Spanish Flu, knowing that technology was not as advanced, would the results has been the same?  Would as many people have lost theirs lives?  Or would knowing more people were infected helped the spread of the disease?  These questions will not be answered but we can only hope that this law will help rectified the problem and save lives.  My other concern is that should everyone be required to get tested or just people in high risk categories?  If everyone should be tested then it should be added as a part of a physical exam when patients are seen at their providers office.  And if not then it should be available at a clinical location where you have access regardless of your medical insurance status.  

Should people be charged with a criminal offense if they do not inform their partners of the HIV/AIDS status?  I feel if they maliciously are having multiple partners without notifying them I feel that they should be charged.  However if they do not know their status then I feel how can they be held accountable?  Which brings us back full circle to mandatory reporting.  This is a very controversial subject and I feel that we are worlds away from coming to a overall consensus but the implementation of this law is a step in the right direction. Healthcare safety is the primary concern for patients and medical professional  alike.  We all have a human right to protect ourselves and the ones we are around.  If someone is infected with the common cold we take precautions so shouldn't we also do the same for a disease that can take your life especially if there is treatment that can prolong your life and make other aware of the possibility of infection.  

If I were a nurse caring for a patient, I would definitely want to know that the patient carries the virus, regardless of when they contracted it, or whether they’ve been treated or not. I feel very firm on this position, since my life, and my families lives could be at risk since there is potential for them to contract the virus to me if I am unaware. By being aware, I am more readily able to protect myself and take an extra step in precautions to ensure my safety. The same goes if I had a family member with the virus. I think that they should have to report it, no matter the extent, and regardless of if they are ashamed or not. The risk of not reporting it is way more detrimental than hiding it. 

My concerns with this law would be that people may not abide by it. I would hope that people have the decency to abide by the law, but in order for that to happen I believe that there should be consequences for those that do not follow that law. I believe that testing for AIDS/HIV should be easily accessed, and it should be the doctor’s responsibility to report the positive test results immediately and not allow for a middle man to leave out information, or potentially not even report the information. My other concern is that even if people follow the law, there still needs to be some type of education involved to ensure people know the risks and the dangers on contracting the disease. 

I do believe that there should be some type of criminal or federal offense for those that do not follow these regulations. The risk that they impose on the public is heinous and needs to be addressed. There should be an immediate way to inform the state of the results, and to give them the name of the patient that tested positive. They should have to provide information on previous and current sexual partners for them to get tested as well. This would hopefully decrease the amount of cases, and individuals with AIDS/HIV.

As a nurse it is a reality that every day you interact with people in a patient care setting, there is potential you are coming into contact with vectors that can be just as bad as HIV. Standard precautions are put in place to minimize the risk of nurses being infected, but nurses and all healthcare providers must be proactive and constantly wash hands and protect themselves from needle sticks. I do think it would be helpful to know a person’s positive HIV status, but since we are technically supposed to follow steps to prevent exposure to blood borne pathogens, it wouldn’t change the type of amount of care I provide to my patients. 

If a family member came to me and said they were HIV positive, I would first offer emotional support and make sure they were not at risk for causing self-harm. I would also help them go through the stages of grief as they cope with this difficult diagnosis. Next I would make sure they have gotten the appropriate medical treatment and psychological care if needed. Lastly I would make sure they have a plan to make sure their sexual partners had been notified of the exposure they had to the virus.

 A concern that I have about this law being passed is that people may wait longer to seek out treatment because they are afraid they will be embarrassed or exposed to the community. Having any type of medical condition can be a sensitive topic for a person, and if you add the worry that a large number of people will know this, it may deter people from seeking testing and getting treated. 

Another concern I have is will there be additional mental health assistance for these people. When people are placed in this database will the state make sure to notify people that psychological help is there if they need it. It could be in the form of hotlines, anonymous chat rooms or a group therapy setting. 

 I think that someone fails to report their status and knowingly exposes others to the virus, it should be a criminal offense. Reckless endangerment among many other things could be one of the charges. People who choose to expose others carelessly to the virus will aid in spreading the epidemic. If someone failed to get timely testing and spread the disease without knowing their positive status, I don’t think they should be charged, but that is why it’s so important for this virus to be reported and tracked to prevent incidences such as that.

HIV Reporting Laws

In 1997 discussions on Human Immunodeficiency Virus and the reporting laws escalated due to a famous case regarding a gentleman by the name of NuShawn Williams. He knowingly transmitted HIV to unsuspecting women through sexual intercourse. He was the first person to be labelled a major public health risk in the United States.

HIV and AIDS is a very serious public health risk and I believe that someone who has contracted this disease should be held accountable to disclose that information to anyone that has been put at risk of contracting it. While putting this into effect as a law will/has met with some controversy, I truly believe that this is something that I, as a woman, would like to know. While i feel that it is definitely a moral obligation to divulge this information, I know that not everyone lives by the same “moral code”.

As a nurse, I also see this as an important topic to disclose. HIV transmission has a potential to be astronomical in numbers if there are irresponsible patients. With intravenous drug use on the rise in the United States, it could be detrimental to the community.

Some concerns I have with the law passing is how it will effect HIPAA in regards to privacy, security breaches within the database, and staffing, with specific regard to funding.

This information will all be stored electronically and include not only the patients personal, private  health information, but also the names and contact information on the people that came into contact with the infected patient. We live in a world of daily data breach attempts. People suffer from identity theft at an alarming rate, and I would have concern that someone could “hack” into the database and use the information learned in a malicious way.

This can also be a very costly endeavor. The amount of staff that would be needed to provide care, monitor patients, run testing on potential new patients, staff needed to train assisted personnel, training on precaution measures, would sky rocket costs.To be able to successfully run a program like this there would have to a funding campaign or assistance from the federal government. As more people are tested, it can potentially raise the rates of known people infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus, which would increase the number of people seeking treatment, inevitably raising costs as well.

People infected with HIV should absolutely inform their sexual partners of their diagnoses. I believe that there should be criminal charges inflicted if patients fail to do so. Mortality rates have dropped drastically with HIV/AIDS and people are living longer with treatments that are available. It is no longer the death sentence that it once was. However, we as nurses need to help educate the public on this disease in the hopes that it would make it less of a stigma to be honest and telling people that you have it. If we can eliminate the stigma, people will be more comfortable to divulge, yet if not they should face charges.

One concern that I have with the law as the article has stated is the lack of the mecial personal that is trained in treating. Also the funds that are required to test and control this disease. There is also a possible risk of breach in the confidentiality of the person and the state. Along with the breach of confidentiality some may feel as they are being discrimintated because of the lack of knowlegde the may have had before contracting this disease and the risk of feeling uneasy. The second concern that I have with these patients is the lack of knowlegde of the disease process. Not only will they have human immunodeficiency virus but will the have acquried immunodefiency syndrome secondary to the HIV. Nurses could gather as a community to help inform the importance of HIV prevention as wel as education. These are some associations that they could reach out to: parent- teacher associations, girl scouts, boy scouts, schools, religious innstitutions, community orginizations, social clubs, sororities, and fraternities. 

In my opinion the lack or reporting human immunodeficiency virus to sexual partners should be a criminal offense because you have a putting other people's lives in danger. Not only will the sexual partner have human immunodeficiency virus but it will turn into acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. The amount of people who have HIV/AIDS have significantly decreased over the past few years. The article brought the point of this being a breach of confidentiality but I do not feel that it is because you are affecting someone else and their life. This disease can also be prevented in various ways. Some of these ways include the following: getting tested, using condoms (this is not a guaranteed way of protection), having less risky sex, and getting treated if you do contract a sexually transmitted disease. I soley believe this is abusing the knowledge of your own diagnosis and abusing someone else. In conclusion, both of these articles have opened my eyes about the causes and effects that HIV will have on another person. 

When it comes to reporting HIV I think everyone who has contracted the disease should be held accountable for reporting it to all past, current, or previous sexual partners who could be affected. In the article it discusses New York's law that was passed on June 1, 2000. This law mandates that all individuals must be named and reported. I think this is a great step in preventing the spread of HIV. I also think it is extremely useful that doctors offices will assist patients diagnosed with HIV in contacting their past sexual partners anonymously. 

If someone I knew had contracted HIV I would want to know that they were doing everything in their power to decrease the spread of the disease as well as stay safe and get adequate treatment/therapies. This includes being educated on how the disease is spread. I think education is key to keeping our communities protected. 

With all of that being said, I do have some concerns with reporting individuals by name. I think if there were to be some sort of breech it could be devastating to a person if many people found out about their diagnosis without the proper education. For example, if the patients are reported by name there is always the chance that someone will “find out” about their diagnosis. Since HIV isn’t commonly talked about it could be very challenging for a person to have to explain their diagnosis if someone already has a preconceived idea of it based on a breech in protected healthcare information.

Another big concern about the law is that it may drive patients away from seeking medical treatment for their HIV in fear that someone will find out, or because they are scared that there may be embarrassment attached to the process of being reported by name. With any other illness we as healthcare professionals have to promise that we will never speak of any protected healthcare information outside of work or to any other healthcare professional who is not caring for that patient. The same HIPAA law absolutely applies for reporting HIV by name. However, patients may still delay their treatment and care simply because they are aware of the change in the law and know their name must be reported.

I think lack of reporting HIV to a sexual partner should definitely be a criminal offense. In my opinion, if someone has sex without reporting themselves to their partner then they are making an environment where consent to sexual activity is almost impossible. I don't think an individual can truly give consent if they don’t know if their partner has been tested for HIV or not. 

HIV should be talked about more openly in order to make people feel more comfortable in getting tested. The sooner people get tested the sooner they can begin therapy and that can make all the difference in their quality of life. It is our job as nurses to be able to encourage and educate the general public on the risks and process of reporting.  

I believe that HIVRPN bill is medically necessary to ensure the safety and further spread of HIV/AIDS. As a nurse, there is a duty to keep patients safe, healthy, and out of harm's way. This law provides that opportunity. If I had a patient on my caseload that was newly diagnosed with HIV, I would have no problem reporting them to the appropriate party. I would have peace of mind knowing that the health commissioner would then do their part to contact the patient and attempt to receive the names of their sexual partners, so that they too can be tested and receive treatment, if applicable. There are many advances in medications and treatments for HIV to slow the progression of the disease, so that they can continue to live a life they desire versus having no knowledge of being infected and shortening their lifespan. 

It is definitely harder to picture what it would be like if I personally was diagnosed or had a close friend or family member was diagnosed. I would imagine the guilt, shame, hurt, and sadness would be hard to cope with. Personally, I would feel awful that I potentially could have infected someone else. But I would also feel anger towards whoever gave me the virus in the first place. I'm sure that the anger would hang out for quite some time. I would refer a friend or family member to counseling, because it is a hard thing to take in. Hopefully it would help them with coping and coming to terms with the magnitude of the situation. 

To comment on whether the patient should have to provide the names of their sexual partners, I believe that would be quite challenging. Millennials and college-aged young adults within today's society are having more sex and many partners. Sometimes these encounters occur under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and they often are one night stands. Therefore, they might not even be able to give a name, or they may be only able to give you a first name. Still, I believe if they are able to remember and provide names, they should be mandated to do so. Because of this, I believe that refusing to report sexual partners should be a criminal offense. They are putting those people's lives in danger and shortening their lifespan simply because they do not want to give up a name(s). It's a different story if they simply do not remember names. However, blatantly saying no and refusing is putting other's lives in danger. There would have to be reassurance that their name would not be given when contacting the sexual partners, which I believe would be one of the main reasons someone would not want to give names. 

The HIVRPN bill raises some concerns for me, which were also listed in the articles. I feel there is a definite lack of knowledge surrounding the bill and what it entails. However, one would not know about the law until they or someone they are close with is diagnosed. HIV is still one of those viruses that has a lot of stigmas attached to it. Homosexual men will always be the first people one thinks about when they hear it. 

The second concern is that those that are aware of the law, are hesitant and delay testing for fear that everyone will know. They need reassurance that their name is only released to the CDC is crucial. They also need to be told that it's not required that you share the names of your sexual partners, but it is highly recommended. Also, if they do release names, that their own name will not be told to the partners, just that they were exposed and should seek testing. 

HIV is one of the most commonly known immune deficiency disorder. It’s been a dilemma to myriad of countries worldwide. The law passed in 2000 in New York on HIV Reporting and Partner Notification I feel was a huge win, and reinforcement for us to help control the problem. This law explains that every injected person should voluntarily provide a potential list of people which you had sexual contact or shared needles. The main goal overall is to inform the possible affected person and help get treatment fast before it develops into Aids. Nurses are the foundation for this law to be successful, as recommended in the article nurses should be getting a mandatory training in HIV counseling and assessment, way the virus gets transmitted, the consequences of HIV disease in victims lives. We also need to start teaching today’s youth more on how to prevent such diseases. They aren’t being educated enough in this subject putting more and more unaware people at risk. As a nurse I’m a proponent to this law, no one is above the law. I believe that if you have HIV, you should report it for your own and the sake of others. Reporting it would only benefit you and your partners. I would not want to figure out I had HIV while my partner at that time knew that he had it. Personally, if me or one of my family member were to be infected with HIV I will encourage and educate him /her. Normally a person would feel more protective towards their family, but I still support the law. The problem though would be how embarrassing it would be for the person. They will be exposed and will have to divulge all their previous sexual partners. Still, informing their partners will allow both to seek adequate help and early treatments. Failing to notify others will aid the proliferation and the dissemination of the virus and rapidly increase the number of affected people. The biggest concern about this law is potential domestic violence situation between HIV spouses and healthy ones. People tend to get mad and emotional when they find out they have HIV from a previous or current spouse. This law could also increase the risk of divorce and couple separation. Another concern is that this law will encourage others not to seek HIV testing. Some people don’t have the financial means to carry out the notification and testing process. To carry out this law, you will also need a sizable number of nurses who are ok with providing care to HIV populations. A big turnoff to most people however is having their information out there, not only theirs, their previous partners too. Some are afraid that their information might get hacked because identity theft is common nowadays. I only believe that they should be criminalized only if they refuse to inform their sexual or sharing needles partners about their HIV status, it is not right putting other healthy individuals at risk of an incurable disease. HIV can get fatal and can be transmitted exponentially when the population is not informed. Consequences are more serious when not intervened on time.    

"If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself," is a familiar quote by Henry Ford. I believe this sums up the HIV Reporting Bill with a concise, yet effective tone. When accountability is utilized, responsibility tends to occur at a greater rate than when the former is omitted. I genuinely believe that all lives should be deemed as valuable, and as nurses, we are called to make this dream a reality. 

As healthcare professionals, we are one of the few groups of mandated reporters within this country. This responsibility was put into place to ensure the safety for the disadvantaged, susceptible and those who are unable to speak up for themselves. One instance includes seeing a child being subjected to harm or having reason to believe that a child has been abused or neglected. 

I believe that executing a law that is responsible for ensuring physicians and other medical team members accurately report probable or known HIV cases, can prevent the HIV epidemic from increasing. If myself or someone close to me were to contract this all too familiar, yet awful disease, I would want to be made aware. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPA) should be utilized as well, thus protecting the privacy of all members involved.

In the same way the poisoning or stabbing someone is considered a serious crime, intentionally infecting a person or persons with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus should be taken as seriously. One main way to ensure that this occurs is by attaching accountability and responsibility to this offense.

My main concerns with passing this law includes the lack of “confidentiality,” as well as some individuals refraining from getting tested out of fear of having their information “disclosed.” However, there is power in knowledge. My hope would be that education regarding preventative measures and maintenance/care be an automatic part of the nursing care of these individuals, particularly.

As a nurse, I would make it my goal to aid in educating individuals of all walks of life to practice safe and healthy behaviors that would be beneficial to all persons involved. This includes abstinence and/or safe sexual practices, eliminating sharing needles, being tested multiple times prior to giving blood and informing expectant mothers about the potential consequences of birthing a baby if the mother has this virus.

As a little girl I always remembered my grandmother saying the following phrase, “An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.” I would sit and think about what that meant. As I grew older, I gradually learned and intertwined that saying into my own life. I believe that the topic at hand is an example where the phrase would fit in perfectly. Preventing HIV would be ideal. Unfortunately, in many cases, that might not be possible due to it already being contracted. However, preventing the spread is much more attainable. One word at a time, and one person at a time. 

One big concern I have with passing this law would be violence. If a patient comes in and finds out they have HIV and they have only been with one partner, (don’t have any tattoos and don’t share needles) they are going to know who gave them HIV. The patient could get violent with the person who gave them HIV. Maybe there is a husband and wife that are both tested, and they don’t have it, and one day the husband finds out that he has HIV and he hasn’t slept with anyone and has been very careful with tattoos and doesn’t share needles. He is going to know that his wife gave him HIV and could become violent with her. Another concern I have is confidentially and the community. Yes, everything is supposed to confidential with HIV, but there is gossip and the teenagers and young adults are going to gossip. People should be taught about the importance of confidentiality. No one should be judged for making a mistake. No one should be made fun of. 

Yes, I feel that lack of reporting HIV should be a criminal offense. There are people out there that know they have HIV and keep sleeping with other people and sharing needles. There are people out there that just don’t care and will sleep with someone just to get them infected. HIV is a serious illness and should be taken very seriously. I feel like these people that have HIV and don’t care should be fined and should do a community service by helping people that are very sick with AIDS, so they know what is going to happen to them, plus what is going to happen to the people they infected. 

The results from the HIV-positive and HIV service provider groups suggest that ongoing contact between health care providers and HIV-positive clients on issues relating to partner notification is necessary. This may allow the client a chance to absorb the meaning of their new diagnosis before managing the issue of notifying all current and past partners. The importance of notifying past partners should be emphasized in post-test counseling and follow-up sessions as clients indicated a tendency to focus primarily on the notification of current partners. The needs of providers should be monitored on an ongoing basis in order to develop and maintain effective training and support programs. Specific efforts should be made to provide additional training on how to handle cases involving intimate partner violence risk. Finally, continued efforts need to be made to inform consumers about the HIV report and partner notification  law and in particular, partner notification assistance programs. 

One concern with New York State's HIV Reporting Partner Notification law was that it would cause individuals to avoid HIV testing. This component of the grant assessed, through the application of an interrupted time series design, the impact of New York State’s HIV report partner notification law on the HIV testing trends of publicly funded counseling and testing sites.

Pennsylvania Nurse peer Assistance program staff made suggestions for improving the partner notification system in New York, including more extensive front-line staff involvement in future changes to the system, better coordination between partner notification staff throughout the state, more extensive promotion of Pennsylvania Nurse peer Assistance program, and the provision of additional training opportunities to Pennsylvania Nurse peer Assistance program staff. 

In addition, the law requires that health care providers report known contacts of newly infected individuals and attempt to elicit other sex and needle sharing partners to increase the number of partners being notified of their exposure risk. Intimate partner violence screening must be conducted for each partner identified. Given the expanded role of physicians in HIV reporting and partner notification, it was deemed important to assess their knowledge, attitudes and practices surrounding the new law. 

An alternate approach would be to encourage them to work more directly with and actively refer to Health Department partner notification programs which maintain staffs of disease intervention specialists who have received in-depth standardized training on partner elicitation and notification skills. 

In conclusion there is good evidence that partner notification is a means of newly detecting infections. Also, there is fair evidence that provider referral generally ensures that more partners are notified and medically evaluated than does self referral. More research is needed to improve elicitation and notification procedures and tailor them to specific populations, to assess the effect of new testing technologies on partner notification, and to understand the consequences of partner notification for infected persons and their partners.

Notifying Existing partners and Past partners can be effectively done with Offering confidentiality  and assurance for the infected person that they wont be Vilified. And offering Post counseling for all notified members on steps to take if they are indeed infected.  In the case of the notified partner is not infected then this could be an opportunity for Nurses and health care professionals to educate new individuals about preventative measures such as abstinence. 

The Law while i am in support of it Can also have a negative impact in decreasing people willing to be tested in fear of getting stigmatized by society.  individuals suspecting they may be infected may withhold from testing and this may have the opposite effect in fighting the HIV/AIDS epidemic 

Health Care professionals and Nurses like my self can create new innovative ways to normalize the process.  This will be done by guiding and preparing all partners for next steps to take.  We can also continue to educate our selves in how to make this process done professionally. In conclusion everyone would want to be notified if their partner has HIV.

Furthermore, the article revealed that only a small percentage of people in New York were even aware of the law, which means they could have been charged with a crime without fully understanding their legal obligations. Of course it is unethical to keep this information from a partner, but whether it is criminal should depend on the situation. In the case of Nushawn Williams, it seems fitting that he was treated as a criminal because of the number of women he knowingly put at risk. Many situations aren't as clear.

Another concern is that there is always the possibility of partner violence no matter how carefully this law is implemented. There needs to be a way to protect the individual whose partner finds out this way about the disease. Even if this is handled properly, knowledge of this law could make some people avoid getting tested who fear for their safety.

As a future healthcare worker, I recognize the importance of preventing the spread of disease, but as a slightly paranoid American citizen who enjoys individual privacy rights, I have to question why HIV is being treated differently than any other communicable disease. This law singles out people with HIV to the exclusion of other STIs. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hepatitis kills more people than any other infectious disease, so it seems discriminatory to only collect names of people infected with HIV. This kind of legislation could lead to a further loss of privacy rights concerning health information when they are weighed against public safety. If I had HIV, I would feel like my rights were violated with this information being disclosed against my will. It is absolutely unethical to keep the knowledge of HIV from a partner, but whether it should be illegal is another matter.

I think education and awareness are the keys to helping people to protect themselves. I think it will be my job as a nurse to protect patients' privacy while empowering them to take responsibility for their health, while treating each patient equally and without judgment. We need to figure out how to prevent the kind of circumstances that lead people to engage in risky behaviors such as unprotected sex and illegal drug use, while recognizing that people who have HIV should be treated the same as anyone with any other disease.