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HIV, Hepatitis & STD Testing and Services
HIV Counseling, Testing & Referrals
Fenway Health, one of the largest confidential test sites in Massachusetts, provides HIV antibody testing that is completely confidential. We also offer confidential pre- and post-test counseling to help you deal with the issues that surround your decision to test and the impact of knowing your HIV status. Confidential testing is available for clients who want documentation of HIV antibody test results. For more information on what HIV antibody test results mean, click here.
To schedule an HIV test, call 617.267.0159.
HIV Prevention and Education
Since the early 1980s, when we diagnosed the first cases of HIV in New England, Fenway has been an international leader in the fight against HIV and AIDS. Today, Fenway is the largest provider of HIV and AIDS care in New England. A variety of programs provide accurate, up-to-date information on HIV and AIDS. Prevention programs focus on helping HIV-negative individuals stay healthy while also dealing with the emotional impact that HIV has on self, family, friends, and community. Other programs assist HIV-positive clients, their loved ones, and caregivers to deal with the medical, emotional, social, financial, and legal aspects of HIV and AIDS.
Case Management
For patients with complex health problems—such as HIV and other chronic illnesses—Fenway offers comprehensive case management services. Our registered nurses and medical social workers help patients understand and access the many resources available to them.
For chronically ill patients, the primary care nurse assumes the additional role of case manager, assisting and supporting you through the course of your illness. Your RN will help you understand the disease process and the impact it is likely to have on your health and provide the information you need to stay healthy and make sound choices about your health care.
Medical social workers are available to help you cope with the practical and emotional aspects of your care and help you access mental health care. A medical social worker can help you apply for Medicare or Medicaid and access community-based services, such as financial, housing and legal assistance programs, and pastoral counseling; coordinate and facilitate communication among multiple service providers; and make referrals to various other services. To help patients deal with the profound disruptions—physical, emotional, and financial—that serious illness or injury can bring, medical social workers also provide short-term, focused counseling and education to patients and their families.
For more information on Fenway's HIV Counseling & Testing Services, call 617.267.0159. For more information about HIV/AIDS, click here.
Learn more about HIV
vaccine research at Fenway |
Hepatitis
Hepatitis refers to viral infections of the liver. There are several types of hepatitis, but here we will discuss the most common - Hepatitis A, B and C.
Different types of hepatitis are transmitted in different ways:
- Hepatitis A is transmitted through oral contact with contaminated feces. It can be passed through sexual contact, especially in men who have sex with men, or by coming into contact with contaminated food. There is a vaccine for Hepatitis A.
- Hepatitis B is highly contagious and usually contracted through sexual contact with an infected partner or through contact with an infected person's bodily fluids. There is a vaccine for Hepatitis B.
- Hepatitis C is more difficult to acquire than other types of hepatitis and is most commonly transmitted through blood-to-blood contact as can happen when injection drug users share needles. There is no vaccine for Hepatitis C and it can often be incurable.
Hepatitis symptoms vary in intensity from person to person but commonly include:
- Fatigue, at times severe enough to make it difficult to get out of bed
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea and vomiting that gets worse as the day progresses
- Yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice)
- Darker urine than normal and sand colored feces
- Loss of smoking desire
- Dull pain in upper abdomen (Hepatitis A)
Fenway Health offers free vaccinations for Hepatitis A & B during our walk-in services clinic on Wednesdays from 4 to 6 p.m. at 1340 Boylston Street.
For more information on hepatitis, it's symptoms and how to protect yourself from it, click here.
Other STDs
Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) are infections you can get through sexual contact involving the mouth, penis, vagina or anus.
Each year, there are more than 15 million new STD cases in the United States. STDs are more common that most people think. Young people are at particularly high risk.
Most STDs are easily cured if they are caught early. Unfortunately, many people don't seek treatment because they have no symptoms and they don't know that they have an infection. Other people have symptoms, but they don't go to the doctor because they are embarassed or they don't realize that theiry symptoms are the warning signs of a serious infection. If left untreated, some STDs can cause severe health problems or even death. And if you don't have an STD treated, you are more likely to pass it on to someone else. Talk to your doctor or counselor about any STD concerns you might have.
If you are sexually active with multiple partners, you should get screened for STDs every 6 months. To make an appointment with your primary care physician at Fenway for an STD screening, call 617.927.6000.
Click on the links below for more information on specific STDs:
Chlamydia
Gonorrhea
Human Papilloma Virus (HPV)
MRSA (drug-resistant staph)
Pubic Lice and Scabies
Syphilis
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