A Georgia teenager was hospitalized after a suicide attempt following the alleged misdelivery of a false positive HIV test result from Pickens Urgent Care in Decatur. The teen, who remains anonymous, discovered the alarming result on her online health portal in June, according to WSB-TV.
Her mother recounted waking to her daughter's screams around 2 a.m., with the teen expressing despair and stating, "I felt like my life was over." Upon entering her daughter's room, the mother found her on the floor following a suicide attempt.
The family alleges that Pickens Urgent Care failed to contact them to explain the result or offer counseling or follow-up care. This lack of communication prompted the mother to seek testing at four other facilities, where it was confirmed that the initial result was a false positive.
"Everything came back negative," the mother stated. "The clinic never contacted us. The doctor didn't contact us."
According to the family, a nurse at one of the subsequent testing sites encouraged them to investigate further, suggesting it was a false positive and advising them to research the clinic. The teen later reflected on the potential consequences had they not pursued additional testing, questioning what might have happened if she had accepted the initial result as definitive.
An employee at Pickens Urgent Care informed WSB-TV that patients undergoing HIV testing typically receive follow-up appointments within five days. However, the family claims no such appointment was evident in the teen's health portal. They also allege the clinic only contacted the mother after local media began inquiring about the claims.
An image provided to the outlet by the family reportedly shows the teen's last visit to Pickens Urgent Care was on June 26.
Georgia does not have a specific agency that regulates urgent care centers; instead, the medical professionals working at these facilities are licensed and regulated individually by their respective state boards.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance stipulates that any positive HIV result from an antibody test requires a follow-up test for confirmation. If this subsequent test is also positive, the diagnosis is confirmed, and additional counseling should be provided, along with an evaluation of the patient's immediate medical care and psychosocial support needs. The CDC recommends that individuals between 13 and 64 years old receive an HIV test at least once as part of routine healthcare.
