MTV - 1

Last time I talked about what OPALS does and why it's important in Morocco.  Today I will go into detail about one area of outreach work that they participates in, their Mobile Testing Van.  I’m going to get sick of typing out Mobile Testing Van so I’m just going to call it MTV (remember when the other MTV played music?). 

 “Basically a food truck. Without food. And you can only get your finger pricked. 

This is the worst food truck ever!”

The MTV is used to travel around Morocco to areas that do not have easy access to HIV education and testing.   We provide information about safe sex, give free condoms, and implement rapid HIV testing.  OPALS uses the MTV to target key demographics.  For a reminder they are, women, immigrants, sex workers and youth.  The law around HIV testing states that people under the age of 18 must have their parents permission to get tested.  For this reason we do not target the youth for MTV events.  The following is my experiences working with the other main groups and how they differ with the MTV.  Due to the fact that each of these groups differs so greatly, I will be breaking this blog entry into 4 parts with a new part posted each day.  First up, the layout and process of running a MTV event. 

The MTV is comprised of two sections; one for education and data collection, and the other for testing are results.  The first section has one of the OPALS doctors and the MTV coordinator.  In the first section a patient comes in and gets basic information about safe sex, the difference between HIV and AIDS, the importance of getting a test done, and what it means if the test result is negative or positive.  The MTV coordinator takes down general information about the person like age, sex, city, and marital status.  Nothing that can directly identify back to a patient is recorded.  This information is used only for statistical analysis as part of work that is reported to national and international health groups.  There is time for questions, then a number is written on the patient’s hand before moving onto the next compartment.

“So you’re saying you don’t serve food of any kind in here?”

The second compartment of the MTV is where you get the HIV rapid test.  A OPALS nurse wipes off one of the patient’s fingers with a antibacterial wipe, sticks them with a finger sticker devise thing (all technical terms), daps a bit of blood on a testing strip, and then gives them the little cleaning wipe back to hold against their bloody finger.  Patients then exit the MTV and wait outside for around 5-10 minutes.  The MTV coordinator calls patients back into the MTV by the number on their hand and tells them their results.  The results are also recorded under the information patients gave at the beginning.  If the results are positive the doctor will refer the patient to the partnering hospital for a second more in-depth test. 

“Do I get a lollypop after this?” 

There were several things that I found different then what is done in the States.  For example – changing your gloves between each person tested, having a trashcan for people to put their bloody antibacterial wipes in instead of the ground, Band-Aids, HIPAA or greater privacy when giving sensitive information.  But alas, the requirements for these procedures are not there and it’s a non-profit on a budget.  I have made suggestions to help the MTV process but I was met with the comment, “you’re very observant” and then nothing else.  I guess we’ll come back to that later…

While at my first MTV event I was asked if I wanted to get tested.  I respectfully declined.  Too bad “no thank you” doesn’t always work here and I was then ushered into the van to get a test done.  I was told it was for me to get the “full experience” and to be a good demonstration for anyone unsure about getting tested.  With that guilt trip how was I supposed to say no?  I just wish I had more then one antibacterial wipe.  My boss was also very content to take photos of my testing process for what she calls my "diary". 

"Okay no lollypop, but how about a Band-Aid?"

Part of my job at OPALS is to be a photographer at events.  Normally, I like this part of the job because everyone loves getting their photos taken and I become the very popular “American girl with a camera”.  At the MTV events that is not the case.  Due to privacy and respecting that the photos I take are OPALS property, I will only include photos of the staff, the surrounding areas where the MTV has traveled to, and myself.

Tune in tomorrow when we talk about women in MTV! 

“Will Beyoncé be there?”