National HIV Testing Day on June 27
June 27 is National HIV Testing Day, and across America various groups are mobilizing towards conducting free testing and raising awareness regarding HIV.
The campaign’s website, a service of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), shared that it, coordinated by the National Association of People with AIDS, encourages everyone to “Take the Test, Take Control.”
In Belleview, Florida, the Marion County Health Department and the Ramah Missionary Baptist Church is offering free HIV testing on June 27, hosted by the church. The test will involve the extraction of a blood sample via a small prick on the finger, and the results will be available in 15 minutes.
Craig Ackerman, spokesman for the county health department, shared that the program is able to provide immediate results for people who are concerned about potential infection, as well as serve as an awareness campaign for HIV. Talking about HIV, Ackerman shared: “It (HIV) is not the early death sentence it was thought to be early in the epidemic.”
Ackerman said further: “Public health isn’t just a health department issue. It is a community issue, and the more community partnerships we build, the better chances we have to protect the public health.”
The state of Illinois, on the other hand, has launched a public service campaign reminding people to “Know Your Status.” Illinoisans may call (800) AID AIDS or text IL plus their zip code to 36363 in order to find a free HIV testing location in their area, where testing will be conducted on June 27.
Tags: free HIV testing, HIV awareness campaign, HIV test campaign, HIV testing day
