Tuesday, February 7, will mark the 16th observance of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD) and the Coastal Health District will recognize the day by holding HIV testing events throughout the eight-county public health district. The Coastal Health District Prevention Program will offer free and rapid confidential HIV testing from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, February 7 at health departments in Bryan, Camden, Chatham, Effingham, Glynn, Liberty, Long, and McIntosh counties. No appointment necessary.
The NBHAAD 2017 theme is “I am my Brother’s and Sister’s Keeper: Fight HIV/AIDS.” NBHAAD is directed, planned, and organized by a group known as the Strategic Leadership Committee, a coalition that partners with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to mobilize communities in an effort to address local epidemics and influence the course of HIV in African American communities across the country.
The Coastal Health District has close to 1,400 active cases of HIV and Georgia ranks 5th highest in the nation for the total number of new diagnosis of HIV. The Coastal Health District encourages the community to use this observance to promote HIV prevention practices and reduce the stigma surrounding the disease.
Go to www.nationalblackaidsday.org to learn more about NBHAAD. To locate services for a free HIV test or to access treatment, visit Georgia Department of Public Health’s CAPUS (Care and Prevention in the U.S.) Care Portal at www.gacapus.com or call the Georgia AIDS/STD Infoline at 1-800-551-2728.
For more information on the testing events, please call Diane DeVore at 912- 644-5828 or email Diane.Devore@dph.ga.gov.
