There are over 10,000 people living with HIV in New York State that are unaware of their HIV status. In 2010, Article 27-F was amended to require that HIV testing be offered to all persons between the ages of 13 and 64 receiving hospital or primary care services with limited exceptions, and included a requirement for written, informed consent except in the case of rapid testing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends routine HIV screening in healthcare settings.
Before the 2014 amendment was passed, New York State was only one of two states in the nation to have laws inconsistent with this federal guidance. Removing the requirement for written consent eliminates a barrier to expanded testing by identifying more individuals and linking them to care and treatment.