Disclaimer (36kb pdf)

The Pinellas County Health Department has over twelve years experience providing healthcare to persons living with HIV and AIDS. The HIV/AIDS Program is comprised of departments including:

• Patient Care
• The AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP)
• HIV/AIDS Surveillance
• Health Education
• Jail Linkage Project

The goals of these program components are to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and to provide treatment and resources to those who are infected and affected by the epidemic. Our main objectives include increasing the public's knowledge and awareness of HIV/AIDS, promoting HIV testing and providing state-of-the-art treatment and care for Pinellas County residents.

• Organization Chart (15kb pdf)
• HIV Testing Sites
• Community Resources English (186kb pdf) | Spanish (202kb pdf)
• Surveillance Quarterly Statistics

How to Report HIV/AIDS Cases:

If you are a Pinellas or Pasco County health care provider or laboratory director that tests, diagnoses and/or treats HIV/AIDS patients, please be aware that the Florida Administrative Code, Chapter 64D-3 states that certain demographic and HIV/AIDS defining clinical information & tests must be reported to your local county health department's HIV/AIDS Surveillance Office. You are required by Florida State Law, as of the updated F.A.C 64D-3 version on November 20th 2006, to report patients who are diagnosed with any of the following conditions: (for your convenience the latest November 20th, 2006 rules are in red)

• Any HIV Western Blot positive, HIV qualitative PCR positive, or diagnostic HIV positive (e.g. viral load or NAAT) tests done on or after July 1, 1997 (for laboratories and providers).
• Any CD4 tests with values < absolute 200 or < 14% on any HIV positive patients (for providers).
• Any of the 26 CDC AIDS defining opportunistic infections (for providers).
• Any HIV exposed newborns (i.e. infants = 18 months of age) born to an HIV infected woman on the next business day (for providers).
• Any HIV detectable viral load tests on or after November 20, 2006 if an HIV/AIDS surveillance staff member calls your office for more information(for providers).
• All detectable and undetectable HIV quantitative viral load tests done on or after November 20, 2006(for laboratories).
• All CD4 tests, with or without confirmed HIV infection (for laboratories).

If you are a health care provider and need to report a positive HIV or AIDS case please refer to the "Health Care Provider Reporting Guidelines" (96kb pdf) form below and print out and complete one of the following forms and follow the mailing directions listed at the bottom of this webpage:

1. HIV/AIDS CDC Adult Case Report Form (613kb pdf) - ages > or = 13 yrs old
2. HIV/AIDS CDC Pediatric Case Report Form (1401kb pdf) - ages <13 yrs old

If you are a laboratory director and need to report a positive HIV test result (e.g. Western Blot, HIV viral load test, etc.) or CD4 test result please refer to the Laboratory Reporting Guidelines (94kb pdf) form below and submit the required information on an official laboratory form and follow the mailing directions listed at the bottom of this webpage:

Please Note:

• HIV/AIDS reporting information is treated with the STRICTEST CONFIDENTIALITY.
• Do NOT fax any information pertaining to reporting HIV/AIDS cases

Guidelines that can be posted in your office on “Reporting HIV and/or AIDS Cases/Tests”:

• Laboratory HIV & AIDS Reporting Guidelines (94kb pdf)
• Health Care Provider HIV & AIDS Reporting Guidelines (96kb pdf)

Shortened version of Florida Administrative Code 64D-3 (as of 11/20/06): Pertaining to HIV & AIDS:

• Florida Administrative Code 64D-3 (HIV & AIDS) (48kb pdf)

If you are a physician or health care provider in Pinellas County or Pasco County and your patient has recently tested HIV Western Blot positive, or has been diagnosed HIV positive by another test, please make your patient aware that a Disease Intervention Specialist from either the Pinellas County Health Department or Pasco County Health Department will possibly be contacting them in the near future about the following services available:

• HIV Post test counseling (if needed)
• Referrals to HIV health education/financial resources in the community
• Referrals to community resources available for pregnant women
• Partner elicitation/notification (done "anonymously" by the CHD staff)

If there is a particular client whom you would not want to be contacted by the local health department then please notify the HIV/AIDS Surveillance office as soon as possible at 727-824-6903

How to send the forms to the Pinellas County Health Department:

If you prefer you may directly contact our HIV/AIDS Surveillance office at 727-824-6903 to report an HIV or AIDS case over the phone. Otherwise, please print one of the forms, answer all of the questions and place the HIV/AIDS case report form in an envelope marked "Confidential" with the name " Beth Sudduth , MPH " and "Pinellas County Health Department" on it. Place that envelope inside another envelope with the following address on it and send it to:

Beth Sudduth, MPH
Pinellas County Health Department
205 Dr. M. L. King Street North
Surveillance, Room #3-148
St. Petersburg, Florida 33701

Related Links:

The following are very useful web sites dedicated to providing current and accurate HIV/AIDS information:

• www.cdc.gov/hiv
  Provides comprehensive HIV/AIDS information on statistics, transmission, treatment, patient care, prevention, research, disease facts, counseling and testing, funding and national conferences.
• http://www.cdcnpin.org/
  A resource for educational materials including fact sheets, FAQs, brochures, videos, books, reports, posters and various other prevention items.
• http://www.hivatis.org/
  Up-to-date information on HIV treatments, clinical trials and treatment research.
• http://www.wemakethechange.com