COLUMBIA — A Mid-Missouri group says the region has seen an 18 percent increase in people seeking treatment for AIDS and HIV.
Rain-Central Missouri handles case management for patients. It has added 58 clients in the 12-month period that ended in May. Those clients have either tested positive or have begun seeking services.
The group also enrolled its youngest HIV-positive client, a 16-year-old girl.
Rain's executive director, Cale Mitchell, says his organization has made an effort to offer tests at gatherings of college students and at events such as Pridefest and Earth Day.
This led to the group administering 15 percent more HIV tests in 2008 than in past years.