A: In order to receive case management services, you must be diagnosed as HIV positive. To request an application to receive services, call the office at (310) 314-5480 or click onto our Case Management page to download an application.

A: Common Ground’s new facility is located at 2012 Lincoln Boulevard in Santa Monica. That’s Lincoln at Bay, just south of Pico Boulevard.

A: The Agency is open on Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Some evening appointments are available for mental health services. We are open Thursday evenings from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm for HIV testing by appointment only. Many of our activities for youth are also conducted in the evenings at Common Ground. Our Youth Drop-In hours are Tuesdays, 5:30 – 10:00 p.m. and Fridays 5:30 – 8:30 p.m.

A: HIV is a human virus that breaks down the immune system and causes AIDS.

A: AIDS is the late stage of HIV infection, where the immune system is broken down and the body is able to contract other infections. When a person is HIV positive and his or her T-cell count drops below 200, he or she is considered to have AIDS. An HIV positive diagnosis along with one or more of 26 opportunistic infections is also considered to be a diagnosis of AIDS.

Q: What Is Science Doing To Find A Cure For Aids?
A: There is presently no cure for AIDS. There are some promising new drugs and combination treatments on the market that can help prolong a person’s life and help that person manage the disease. There are side effects to these medications. Not everyone can tolerate them, and they are not as effective for women.

Q: How Is HIV Transmitted?

A: There are three ways that HIV is transmitted:

1. Unprotected sex with an infected person

• anal sex without a latex condom
• oral sex without a latex barrier
• vaginal sex without a latex barrier

2) Sharing Needles with an HIV-infected person

Sharing needles means:

• Injecting drugs, prescription medication, vitamins, or steroids
• Tattooing, scarring, or branding
• Body Piercing

1. HIV-infected Mother to Baby

• Before birth (while mother is pregnant with baby in the womb).
• During child-birth (due to the exchange of body fluids).
• After birth (baby may be born with HIV or contact the virus through breast feeding).

Q: How Is HIV Not Transmitted?

A: HIV is not transmitted through casual or indirect contact.

Casual contact such as touching, shaking hands with, hugging, and holding hands with someone who has HIV does NOT transmit HIV.

Indirect contact such as touching toilet seats, touching door knobs, using towels, sheets, hot tubs, swimming pools, and eating utensils that have been touched or used by someone with HIV does NOT transmit HIV.

Q: What Fluids Transmit HIV?

A: Fluids that transmit HIV from person-to-person are:

Blood, pre-cum, semen, vaginal fluids, and breast milk.

Q: What Fluids Do Not Transmit HIV?

A: Fluids that DO NOT transmit HIV are:

Saliva, sweat, mucus, tears and feces

Q: What Is Meant By The Window Period?

A: The HIV antibody test does not test for HIV, but looks for the presence of antibodies for HIV to identify that the virus has invaded the body. The window period is the time it takes for HIV antibodies to show up on an HIV antibody test.

It takes HIV antibodies about two weeks to six months to show up on a HIV antibody test, depending on an individual’s own immune system. An individual will not receive an accurate test result if they get tested a few days after engaging in any risky behavior, such as unprotected sex & sharing needles with an infected person.

 

Q: Who Is at Risk?

A: EVERYONE! HIV is a virus that does not discriminate based on gender, age, race, color, ethnicity, language or sexual orientation. With HIV, it’s not who you are, but what you do. Engaging in risky behaviors such as unprotected sex and sharing needles is what puts someone at risk.

Q: Are Women at Risk For HIV?

A: YES! 6,300 women are infected with HIV every day. Women are very vulnerable to HIV. Because of gender norms and lack of power in relationships, they often cannot practice safer sex. Current prevention strategies including mutual monogamy and male condoms depend upon a partner’s cooperation.

Q: How Can Women Protect Themselves From HIV?

A: Women can learn to use female condoms and dental dams and request that their male partners use a latex condom. They can lobby for research to develop and test microbicides.

Q: What Are Microbicides?

A: A microbicide is a substance that can substantially reduce transmission of sexually transmitted infections when applied either in the vagina or rectum. Like today’s spermicides, a microbicide could be produced in many forms, including gels, creams, suppositories, films, or in the form of a sponge or a vaginal ring that slowly releases the active ingredient over time.

Q: Are Microbicides Currently Available?

A: No. Scientists are currently testing spermicides and other substances to see whether they help prevent the spread of HIV and/or other sexually transmitted infections. Scientists are seriously pursuing over 30 product leads, and several products have had promising results in Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials. With sufficient investment, a microbicide could be available to consumers in two to five years.

For further information about microbicides, contact The Global Campaign for Prevention Options for Women c/o PATH (Program for Appropriate Technology in Health), 1800 K Street NW, Suite 800, Washington, DC 20006

E-mail info@global-campaign.org

www.global-campaign.org

 

Q: Why Should Teens Be Concerned About HIV?

A: Teens are the fastest growing group at risk for HIV. Two teens are infected with HIV every hour in the United States. One in four new HIV cases in the US occur in people under the age of 22.

Q: How Can I Protect Myself?

A: Prevention education is the best method to stop the spread of HIV. Getting correct facts and information about HIV/AIDS, knowing how to make clear decisions for yourself, and knowing how to use protection are all ways to protect yourself against HIV/AIDS. Communicate with your partner. Educate your family and friends about HIV/AIDS prevention. Help those around you make the right choices and get the right information.

Q: How do I know if I’m HIV Positive?

A: The only way to know for sure is by taking an HIV test.

The presence of HIV antibodies can be detected by a blood test

or by a test of the cells inside your mouth. For more information about free, anonymous, oral HIV tests, check out our page on HIV testing on this website.

Q: Does Needle Exchange Increase Drug Use?

A: NO! Studies have consistently shown that needle exchange programs significantly lower the risk of HIV transmission among injection drug users. In an exhaustive scientific study by the nation’s leading public health officials, including scientists from the Centers for Disease Control, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse, needle exchange has also been shown to NOT increase drug use. There is no evidence that needle exchange programs encourage or heighten drug use in participants or in the wider community. A study in San Francisco suggests that, in the presence of needle exchange, the percentage of new initiates into injection drug use decreased from 1% to 3%, and using may have actually decreased in the area studied.

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