Boulder County Public Health Communications Office 303-441-1457
Public Health and BCAP to Offer Free HIV Testing
National Latino AIDS awareness day is October 14,
2007
In an effort to break down barriers to HIV testing,
Boulder County Public Health (BCPH) and Boulder County AIDS
Project (BCAP) are celebrating National Latino AIDS
Awareness Day on Sunday, Oct. 14. HIV testing will be
provided at no charge from noon-5 p.m. at the Twin Peaks
Mall in Longmont, located at 1250 South Hover Road.
“Latinos are disproportionately affected by HIV, and we
are striving to bridge that gap,” said Kyla Holcomb, HIV/STI
Outreach Coordinator for BCPH. “During last year’s NLAAD
recognition event in Longmont, 50 people, mostly Latinos,
were tested and now know their HIV status.”
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 once again 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 swab from
the inside of the mouth or a finger-prick blood sample.
Other health services will also be available at the
event. “In addition to providing HIV tests, we will also be
providing blood pressure checks, dental exams,
immunizations, and other health services at no cost. We hope
the community takes advantage of this great opportunity,”
said Rodolfo Martinez-Puentes, HIV Prevention Coordinator
for BCAP.
In Colorado, more than 8,766 cases of AIDS have been
diagnosed since the beginning of the epidemic, and an
additional 6,133 people are living with HIV. Latinos
comprise 14% of the total U.S. population; yet this
population accounts for approximately 20% of all persons
living with HIV/AIDS.
It is estimated that 40,000 Americans are newly infected
with HIV each year, and at least 25% of those who are
positive don’t even know it. The Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention’s latest figures estimate there are currently
between 1,039,000 and 1,185,000 people living with HIV in
the United States.
For further information on how to participate in this
event, please contact Kyla Holcomb at 303-413-7522 or
Rodolfo Martinez-Puentes at 303-444-6121 (for Spanish, call
303-444-7181), or visit
www.BoulderCountySTI.org.
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