Public Health and BCAP Offer Free HIV Testing
It’s better to know. Take the test. Take control.
June 25, 2007, Boulder, Colo - For the second year
in a row, Boulder County Public Health (BCPH) and Boulder
County AIDS Project (BCAP) proudly are celebrating National
HIV Testing Day during the last week in June. In 2006, 100
people were tested as a result of events in both Boulder and
Longmont.
HIV testing will be provided at no charge on Wednesday, June
27, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Powell Building in
Longmont, located at 82, 21st Avenue, behind the Tanglewood
Living Community. On Saturday, June 30, testing will be
provided from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the BCAP office in
Boulder, located at 2118 14th Street. Staff will also
provide information about HIV prevention throughout the day
at a booth located on the 14th Street block of the Pearl
Street Mall.
It is estimated that 40,000 Americans are newly infected
with HIV each year, and at least 25% of people living with
HIV are unaware of their HIV positive status. The Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that
there are currently between 1,039,000 and 1,185,000
HIV-positive people in the United States. In Colorado more
than 8,565 cases of AIDS have been diagnosed since the
beginning of the epidemic in 1982, and an additional 6,109
people are living with HIV. In Boulder County 307 people
have been diagnosed with AIDS, and 243 are HIV-positive.
“By knowing your HIV status you can protect your partners
and yourself from future infection,” says Shelly King, HIV
prevention coordinator at BCAP. “If your test results are
positive, we can provide you with the resources to get the
care and services you need to help you live a long and
healthy life.”
In an effort to break down barriers to HIV testing, BCPH and
BCAP are collaborating to emphasize the importance of HIV
testing as an important step in the prevention and early
treatment of HIV/AIDS. BCPH and BCAP will provide free and
anonymous HIV antibody testing by English- and
Spanish-speaking testers. The HIV test will use rapid
testing technology, providing results in less than 20
minutes and requiring only an oral specimen from the inside
of the mouth, or a finger-prick blood sample. “People no
longer have to have blood drawn and wait two weeks for their
results,” said Kyla Holcomb, coordinator of the BCPH HIV/STI
Outreach Program. “The rapid test makes it simple and
immediate.”
While the event in Boulder is focused solely on HIV testing,
the event in Longmont will also provide other free health
services. "In addition to HIV tests, we will be providing
blood pressure checks, dental exams, immunizations, and more
services at no cost,” said Patricia Moreno, Longmont
Community Liaison at BCAP. “We hope the community takes
advantage of this great resource.”
For further information on how to participate in these
events, please contact Kyla Holcomb at 303-413-7522 or
Shelly King at 303-444-6121 (for Spanish, call
303-444-7181), or visit www.BoulderCountySTI.org |
