DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. \u2014 A mother says an urgent care clinic never contacted her family after her teenage daughter\u2019s HIV test came back positive, leaving the teen to discover the result on her online medical portal. The family later learned the test result was a false positive.<\/p>\n
The family asked Channel 2 Action News not to identify them to protect the teen\u2019s privacy.<\/p>\n
The mother said she was awakened around 2 a.m. in June by her daughter\u2019s screams after the teen checked her MyChart account on her phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just didn\u2019t feel good at that moment,\u201d the teen said.<\/p>\n
The teen said she believed her life was over after seeing the positive HIV result.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was just crying. I felt like my life was over,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The mother said she forced her way into her daughter\u2019s locked bedroom and found her on the floor after the teen attempted to take her own life.<\/p>\n
The family said no one from Pickens Urgent Care contacted them to explain the result, provide counseling or arrange follow-up care.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe clinic never contacted us. The doctor didn\u2019t contact us,\u201d the mother said.<\/p>\n
The mother sought additional testing for her daughter at four separate medical facilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything came back negative,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The mother said a nurse at an HIV clinic encouraged her to investigate further.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said, \u2018Mom, this is a false positive. Do your research on that clinic. Do your due diligence,\u2019\u201d the mother recalled.<\/p>\n
The family said they later found online complaints from other patients alleging misdiagnoses, lost medical samples and poor patient care at the same clinic.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat if I didn\u2019t go to another clinic to get tested? I would have just gone on thinking that I had it,\u201d the teen said.<\/p>\n
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, healthcare providers should deliver positive HIV test results through confidential personal contact and promptly connect patients with follow-up medical care, counseling and support services.<\/p>\n
Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Ashli Lincoln repeatedly called and emailed Pickens Urgent Care seeking comment. No one responded before publication. <\/p>\n
Lincoln visited the clinic in person, where an employee said management was preparing an official statement.<\/p>\n
The employee said patients who receive HIV testing are typically given follow-up appointments within five days. However, the family said the teen\u2019s patient portal showed no scheduled follow-up appointment.<\/p>\n
After Channel 2 Action News visited the clinic, the mother said the facility contacted her for the first time since her daughter\u2019s June visit.<\/p>\n
Channel 2 Action News also learned there is no state agency that specifically regulates urgent care centers in Georgia. Instead, physicians, nurses and other medical professionals practicing at those facilities are licensed and regulated individually through their respective state licensing boards.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank God it was a false positive,\u201d the mother said. \u201cWe just want to make sure this doesn\u2019t happen to any other teenagers.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to the CDC, HIV test results should be communicated using the same confidential procedures as other routine medical tests. However, when a patient receives a positive result, providers are encouraged to deliver that information through direct, personal communication rather than by mail.<\/p>\n
The agency says patients who receive a positive HIV diagnosis should also be immediately linked to follow-up medical care, counseling and other support services to help them begin treatment and understand their diagnosis.<\/p>\n
The CDC says timely notification is essential because people who begin treatment early can achieve better long-term health outcomes. Early treatment can also lower the amount of HIV in a person\u2019s body to undetectable levels, significantly reducing the risk of transmitting the virus to others.<\/p>\n
The guidance is intended to ensure patients receive accurate information, emotional support and prompt access to care after an HIV diagnosis.<\/p>\n
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