I was struck by the specious argument of Virginia Beach’s incoming Health Director about the specter of suicide as a result of our public testing.  Dr. Heidi Kulberg, outgoing deputy health director in Chesapeake is moving up in her profession.  At our June 5th meeting in City Hall, she brought up the question of a young person going home and committing suicide when faced with n HIV-positive result. She was very concerned.  She made the point directly to the reporters after the meeting. Her comments received prominent mention — without my response being reported.  C’est la vie.

There has never been a teen suicide as a result of our testing in public (I acknowledge that I am the only person in the U.S. doing public tests and have only been testing since November 2012). The oral swab home test kits are still new and are just getting known.

However, it was the FDA that recently approved the OTC sale of the kits to anyone 17 and older with counseling suggested but not mandated.  The clear implication is that Kulberg is suggesting the FDA is being irresponsible for allowing the sale of these kits with no guarantee the consumer will seek counseling for suicidal thoughts. The federal agency approved the kits that come with a hotline number for questions — you know, the ubiquitous call centers where poorly paid operators answer highly sensitive questions, maybe even of suicide, off a computer screen.

Kulberg’s criticism of home test kits and fear of teen suicide are not reflective of the reality of the situation.  Possibly it might reflect her own professional experience involved in HIV testing of an adolescent that committed suicide after receiving a hospital or clinic test result.

We all are concerned that every teen receives competent and empathetic counseling when faced with a HIV-positive result. I can only speak from my own experience as an internationally recognized youth AIDS expert who holds a doctorate from Harvard in education and human psychology. I have counseled over 300,000 young people in two decades of global outreach throughout the U.S. and 85 countries.

Never has a teen committed suicide after talking with me — in fact, thousands upon thousands have been empowered to volunteer like me and help save their best friends’ lives.  That is the point of taking the tests to public venues where teens gather. Education is the key. If schools and governments were doing their jobs, parents would not have to worry about my work.

Kulberg wants to seek clarity from Virginia’s Attorney General Ken Cuchinelli on the issue of whether or not medical staff must be present to conduct the tests that the U.S. FDA has already ruled could be sold to anyone 17 or older with no medical requirements of any kind, not even a high school diploma.

What’s good enough for the FDA is not good enough for bureaucrats in the city of Virginia Beach.