This blog post was last updated on June 27, 2022.
National HIV Testing Day is June 27, and serves to encourage folks to get tested, know their status, and get linked to care and services.
Established in 1995, National HIV Testing Day remains just as important today. While the global community has made great strides in getting people tested and reducing the rate of new infections, we're not done yet. According to UNAIDS, in 2020, there were 37.7 million people globally living with HIV. Of those people, an estimated 6.1 million people did not know they were infected.
Around 1.2 million people in the United States have HIV, and 1 in 7 of them don’t know they have it. This is why folks with HIV need to get a diagnosis as soon as possible so they can get treatment. Taking HIV medicine as prescribed can keep them healthy and protect their partners. According to a recent report by the CDC, nearly 40% of new HIV transmissions come from people who don't know they are HIV-positive.
What can you do on National HIV Testing Day?
1. Get tested. If you haven't already, consider getting an HIV test. Apicha CHC offers free rapid HIV testing, and whatever your result, we can help you with the next steps.
2. Know your status. Knowing your HIV status can help you protect yourself and others. HIV-positive individuals should immediately begin treatment to decrease their viral load to an undetectable and untransmittable level. HIV-negative individuals who are in high-risk populations (men who have sex with men, sex workers, and people who share needles should consider getting on PrEP, which can protect against the HIV virus.
3. Get linked to care. Whether you are HIV-positive or -negative, getting the right kind of medical care is important. At Apicha CHC we offer a wide range of HIV speciality care and access to PrEP and PEP.
How Apicha CHC Can Help You
At Apicha CHC, we are very proud of our viral load suppression rate for all our patients, the number of our patients on PrEP, and the number of people we get tested.
Our healthcare providers are specialists in HIV prevention, treatment, and care. If you come for testing and remain for care at our community health center, you will receive consistent treatment from a healthcare provider who can attend to all of your health needs including HIV.
There are three ways we can help:
1. HIV Testing
We provide completely confidential HIV testing services at Apicha CHC. To sign up for our HIV Testing services, click here and select HIV/STD testing from the drop down.
2. We can get you PrEP
If you become part of Apicha CHC's PrEP Program, you will be assigned a medical provider & PrEP navigator at who will help you assess which PrEP option is right for you. Apicha offers both the daily pill and the monthly injection.
Our PrEP staff can also help you:
- Enroll in insurance or sign you up for special PrEP cost programs to keep your PrEP free/low-cost.
- Set up your appointments.
- Remind you when your pills are running out.
- Coordinate your prescription pick-up with Apicha CHC's in-house pharmacy, or you can use our free delivery service!
You can request an appointment to get started on PrEP here. Be sure to select the appointment type as "Access to PrEP/PEP".
Apicha CHC's PrEP line number: (646) 740-6392.
3. Become a part of our HIV Clinic
If you know you're HIV-positive and don't currently have a medical provider or aren't happy with the one you do have, feel free to become a part of the Apicha CHC family.
You can request an appointment here. Be sure to select the appointment type as "Primary Medical Care."
