Paramedic Supports Massachusetts HIV Testing Bill
Lunenburg resident Darrell Demers had no idea what the gash to his hand would mean as he worked on a bloody car accident victim in Fitchburg nearly two years ago.
BOSTON -- Lunenburg resident Darrell Demers had no idea what the gash to his hand would mean as he worked on a bloody car accident victim in Fitchburg nearly two years ago.
It meant a drug regimen that left the paramedic in constant pain to prevent possible HIV infection. It meant keeping his toothbrush away from his three young daughters and scrubbing the house with bleach if he cut himself.
"This whole insult to my body, my emotional well-being and my family could have been avoided with simple blood tests," Demers said at a hearing at the Statehouse Wednesday.
The car accident victim was in a coma, and unable to give consent required by state law to test for HIV infection. A bill filed by state Rep. Stephen DiNatale, D-Fitchburg, would allow blood testing of the patient if others could have been infected by them.
"This is a bill which will hopefully help others who help us," DiNatale said.
Demers, 39, said he still worries about getting infected or having to go through the month-long treatment and year-long waiting period that accompanies a possible exposure to HIV.
"I have been a public servant my whole life. I am a loving husband and devoted family man," Demers said, his voice breaking. "I do not want to see any other public servants or health care workers go through what I went through."
Seventeen other states have similar laws, DiNatale said.
State Rep. Jennifer Flanagan, D-Leominster, was also on hand to testify on behalf the bill, which was before the Committee on Public Health.
"It's important to understand we're not discriminating against any particular disease," Flanagan said. "What we're trying to do is make this right. We're trying to protect those who protect us."
But due to the six-month incubation period of HIV, those placed at risk could be infected even if the results are negative, argued Denise McWilliams, public policy director at AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts.
"This is one of those unfortunate situations where technology has not caught up with people's needs," McWilliams said. "At this point, the test doesn't really give you all the information you need to make a decision."
Demers had to make a decision within 72 hours of possible exposure, and was strongly encouraged to take the anti-HIV medication. He believes the test results would have at least given him more guidance.
"I do not feel that it is right that I have no rights in this situation," Demers said.
