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Health & wellness

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Patrick signs law to allow HIV test with verbal consent

By Kay Lazar

 |  Globe Staff  

  April 27, 2012

Governor Deval Patrick signed into law Friday a bill that supporters say will provide greater access to HIV tests and bring Massachusetts into compliance with federal recommendations aimed at promoting more testing. The measure reduces barriers to testing for the virus that causes AIDS by eliminating the need for doctors to obtain written consent from patients, and instead requires only verbal consent.

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