Partner Counseling and Referral Services

The HIV Partner Counseling and Referrals Services (PCRS), has been an important prevention strategy in reducing the spread of HIV. It offers HIV-infected persons an opportunity to meet with a public health professional to obtain counseling, assistance with the notification of sexual and needle-sharing partners, and referral for medical care, case management and support.

During a typical counseling session, the counselor and client discuss four main topics: medical information, support services, risk reduction, and partner notification and referral. The counselor helps the seropositive person identify potentially exposed sexual and needle-sharing partners, assists with prioritizing which partners need to be notified and offered testing, and assists with establishing optimal strategies for information on each partner. 

During a partner notification meeting, the PCRS counselor informs the partner he/she has had contact with an individual who is HIV antibody positive. The counselor provides the partner with information on HIV/AIDS and risk reduction and strongly encourages and offers immediate (“field-based”) HIV antibody testing. 

All services through the Partner Referral Program are voluntary, free and confidential. No identifying information about the original or source individual with HIV infection is given to the notified partner(s).  Maintaining the confidentiality and anonymity of HIV-infected persons who participate in PCRS is critical to its success. 

The primary goals of PCRS are to:

• Inform past and current partners of HIV-infected (seropositive) individuals regarding their personal risk for HIV infection, and the available and advantages of obtaining HIV counseling and testing services.
   

• Identify previously unidentified infection by notifying and providing testing (or referring for counseling and testing) to all named and locatable partners of HIV-infected persons.
   

• Interrupt the transmission of HIV by providing individualized risk reduction information to seropositive persons and to partners of HIV-infected persons.
   

• Provide seropositive persons with referrals for medical evaluation, early intervention, case management and other support services.
   

• Provide seropositive persons who are assessed to be exposing others with referral for evaluation and behavior intervention services.

For additional information regarding the PCRS Program,

contact Al Graewin at 608/785-9872.