FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, February 08, 2006

Public Health clinic in Longmont adds new bilingual tester, offers free HIV tests Feb. 15

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

2 February 2006

Public Health clinic in Longmont adds bilingual tester, offers free HIV tests Feb. 15

Most people in Longmont don’t know they can get low-cost HIV tests at the Boulder County Public Health (BCPH) Longmont clinic. The clinic, which also offers a number of other health-related services, typically averages just two HIV-testing visits a month.

That’s about to change.

BCPH has hired a new, bilingual sexual health specialist who is trained as an HIV test counselor and will be offering testing at the Longmont site every Wednesday.

To raise awareness about the increased availability of testing in both English and Spanish - and to remind area residents of the need for sexually active individuals to get tested - BCPH will offer free HIV tests in Longmont all day on Wednesday, February 15.

“It’s no accident that we’re offering this special event the day after Valentine’s Day,” said Kate Storm, HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infection Outreach Program Coordinator for BCPH. “This is a time when people celebrate love. The ultimate act of love, for yourself and for your partner, is to get tested and take charge of your sexual health.” The week of February 13-19 is also National Sexual Responsibility Week, Storm said.

The BCPH clinic in Longmont will have three trained testing counselors available on February 15 to conduct tests both for walk-ins and individuals with reservations. The tests take just 20 minutes for results and involve a simple oral swab - no blood or needles are involved. Public Health normally charges $35 for the tests, which often cost upwards of $50 elsewhere.

Health workers expect to have room and time to test about 25 people on February 15, but if demand exceeds capacity, they will honor a free test for anyone who calls on or before February 15 to make an appointment for testing. Tests are available from BCPH on Wednesdays in Longmont, or Tuesday-Thursday at BCPH’s Boulder office, located at 3482 Broadway.

The BCPH clinic in Longmont is located at 529 Coffman St., Suite 200. To make a reservation, call 303-678-6166.

HIV and AIDS remain a worldwide and local threat. Currently, there are an estimated 40 million people infected worldwide, including more than 1 million people in the United States. The United States sees a consistent rate of 40,000 new infections each year - and it is estimated that one third of people who are positive don’t even know it.

Latinos make up 14 percent of the United States population; however, they account for 20 percent of new HIV infections. Because Latinos have one of the fastest rates of infection in Boulder County, Storm said BCPH is very excited about the hiring of a bilingual tester.

There are close to 400 people currently living with HIV/AIDS in Boulder County.

For more information, contact Kate Storm at 303-413-7522.

To view a promotional flyer for the event, click here.

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Dan Rowland, Communications Specialist
Boulder County Commissioners’ Office
drowland@bouldercounty.org
303-441-3399

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