SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO : AIDS Test Demand Delays Clinic Plan

Free and confidential testing for the virus that causes AIDS will be offered for the first time in South County starting in early December, the county’s Health Care Agency announced this week.

Testing for the human immunodeficiency virus and counseling with the return of the test results will be available from 1 to 5 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays at the new county public health clinic at 27512 Calle Arroyo in San Juan Capistrano.

The clinic had planned to begin the testing this month, but the recent announcement by Magic Johnson that he has the HIV virus had “really stretched our resources” at another county clinic, said Len Foster, the county’s deputy director of public health.

“It’s kind of a judgment call now,” Foster said. “Do we (immediately) put our resources down in San Juan to explore a need there, or keep them where we know there is an ongoing demand for service?”

Johnson’s announcement last week has caused a sharp increase in demand for tests at the county’s facility at 1725 W. 17th St. in Santa Ana, said Karen Schneider, another deputy director of public health.

“We’ve been swamped,” Schneider said. “We did 146 tests last Friday (the day after Johnson’s announcement) and 230 Tuesday. We had been running about 20 a day at the clinic.”

Schneider suggested that “anyone who had engaged in unprotected sexual activity” should consider being tested, even if they had been tested in the past.

“Just because someone had been tested once and came back negative, they might want to test again, especially if they have engaged in high-risk sexual activity since,” Schneider said.

The HIV testing involves taking a blood sample and a two-week laboratory analysis. To ensure confidentiality, those tested are identified by number instead of name, Foster said.