Nondonor HIV Antibody Testing in Minnesota

To the Editor: The roles of state and local health departments' alternative test sites and nonalternative test sites (physicians' offices, clinics, and hospitals) in screening nondonors for antibody to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV, or HTLV-III/LAV) have not been evaluated. Such data are necessary to develop rational public health policies for the appropriate use and availability of HIV antibody testing. Of particular interest is the perception that screening at alternative test sites is anonymous (i.e., patients' names are requested, but services will not be denied if patients refuse to provide their names), whereas test results obtained at nonalternative test sites are….