Rapid HIV, Hep C, and Syphilis Screening in a Rural Street Medicine Clinic

August 11, 2026 updated by: Dana Bechtold, West Virginia University

Rapid HIV, Hepatitis C, and Syphilis Screening in a Rural Street Medicine Clinic in West Virginia

West Virginia faces rising rates of HIV, hepatitis, and syphilis, particularly among individuals experiencing homelessness, substance use, and mental health challenges. Traditional blood-draw testing for these infections is often hindered by mistrust, logistical barriers, and delays in results. This study, conducted by the West Virginia University (WVU) Street Medicine program, evaluates a rapid, point-of-care fingerstick test for HIV, Hepatitis C, and syphilis that provides results within 10-20 minutes during mobile clinic visits. Participants may choose rapid testing, traditional blood draw (which also includes Hepatitis B screening), or decline testing. All participants will be invited to complete a brief survey about the experiences with screening methods. The goal is to assess whether rapid testing improves screening uptake, linkage to care, and patient satisfaction, ultimately reducing barriers and disease burden in high-risk populations.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

200

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

  • United States
    • West Virginia
      • Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, United States, 25425
        • Recruiting
        • WVU Department of Family Medicine - Eastern Division
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Dana Bechtold, DO

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Participants will include patients in Berkeley and Jefferson Counties of West Virginia who visit the WVU Medicine Street Medicine Clinic.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients of the WVU Medicine Street Medicine team

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients under the age of 18

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
Participants receiving fingerstick test
  • Will get a quick fingerstick test for HIV, Hepatitis C, and syphilis.
  • Will receive results in 10-20 minutes.
  • If positive, will be offered immediate care and/or a referral.
  • If positive, blood draw will be offered on site to confirm results or referred to a WVU Medicine clinic location for follow-up blood test.
  • Will be invited to answer survey questions about the feelings and experiences with screening (about 15-30 minutes).
Diagnostic test: Rapid Fingerstick Test
Fingerstick test for HIV, Hepatitis B and C, and Syphilis that gives results within 10-20 minutes
Participants receiving blood-draw test

Participants receiving blood-draw test:

  • Will get a blood draw to test for HIV, Hepatitis B & C, and syphilis
  • Will receive results in approximately 3 days (via MyChart message and phone call, or in person at site)
  • If positive, will be offered immediate care and/or a referral for follow-up care. • Will be invited to answer questions about the feelings and experiences with screening (about 15 minutes).
Diagnostic test: Blood Draw for lab test
Blood draw to test for HIV, Hepatitis B & C, and syphilis which can take up to 3 days for results
Participants who decline screening

Participants who decline screening:

• Will be invited to answer survey questions about the feelings and experiences with screening (about 15-30 minutes).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Percentage of Finger Stick
Time Frame: Day 1
Percentage of participants that opted to take the rapid finger stick test.
Day 1
Percentage of Blood Draw
Time Frame: Day 1
Percentage of participants that opted to take the blood draw test.
Day 1
Percentage that decline screening
Time Frame: Day 1
Percentage of participants that opted to decline screening
Day 1

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

West Virginia University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Dana Bechtold, DO, West Virginia University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

January 21, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

January 1, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

January 1, 2028

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

December 19, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 19, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

January 5, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

August 13, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 11, 2026

Last Verified

July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2507193944

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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