Healthcare Providers Direct, Inc. Partners With National Association of Community Health Centers to Provide Rapid HIV Testing to Large Patient Populations
Healthcare Providers Direct, Inc., (OTCBB:HPRD) an early-stage company focused on the development and distribution of rapid diagnostic tests directly to physicians’ offices, announces their partnership with the National Association of Community Health Centers, Inc. (NACHC). HPD is providing 25,000 Unigold™ Recombigen® rapid HIV tests free to eight NACHS clinics as part of a pilot program aimed at designing a protocol for fast and efficient testing of large patient populations.
“Healthcare Providers Direct applauds this important first step towards providing rapid HIV testing as part of routine health examinations to this medically underserved population,” said Norman Proulx, Healthcare Providers Direct President. “Once completed, the NACHC protocol, using the Unigold Recombigen rapid HIV test, will be implemented in their 5,000 clinics nationwide.”
In September 2006, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) issued revised recommendations for HIV testing stating that all adults, adolescents and pregnant women between the ages of 13 to 64 should be tested for HIV as part of a routine examination in a health-care setting. The new recommendations are considered an important step in addressing the ongoing HIV/AIDS epidemic in the United States.
“Using rapid tests to routinely screen for HIV has the potential to dramatically impact the diagnosis, treatment and prevention strategies for HIV,” noted Dr. Tom Curtin, NACHC chief medical officer. “The cost of purchasing HIV tests on such a large scale was a major barrier to this program until Healthcare Providers Direct stepped up to offer us quality rapid diagnostic tests free for this pilot program.”
The Unigold Recombigen rapid HIV test provides accurate results in 10 minutes from a simple finger stick while the patient is in the doctor’s office. The Unigold test is extremely accurate with 100% sensitivity and 99.7% specificity, has a 12 month shelf-life and can be stored at room temperature, adding to the portability and flexibility of the test.
“The CDC recommendation for HIV testing in routine medical exams will increase the demand for a rapid, very accurate, portable and flexible HIV test . Our partnership with NACHC positions us to offer a proven protocol for rapid HIV testing to physician offices as routine testing grows in acceptance,” continued Proulx.
Healthcare Providers Direct is a newly-listed public company, as of February 2007, with a unique business model focused on the growing U.S. point-of-care (POC) healthcare market. HPRD has developed a “direct-to-doctor” multi-dimensional marketing communication model, coupled with “novel” (new) and “legacy” (existing) FDA-approved diagnostic products, to deliver these products and services cost-effectively to physicians’ offices, public health facilities, and selective alternative care businesses in the professional POC segment of the U.S. healthcare market. Their website is available for viewing at http://www.healthcareprovidersdirect.com/.
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