Change begins with me - National HIV Testing Day

Tomorrow (June 27) is National HIV Testing Day and the YWCA USA urges all of us to get involved and spread the word in our communities.

Here is a snapshot of the U.S. HIV/AIDS epidemic today from a Kaiser Family Foundation fact sheet:

• Number of new HIV infections, 2006: 56,300
• Number of people living with HIV/AIDS: 1.1 million, including more than 440,000 with AIDS
• Number of AIDS deaths since beginning of epidemic: 565,927, including 14,627 in 2006
• Percent of people infected with HIV who don’t know it: 21%

The last statistic is staggaring. It translates to one in every five Americans who are infected with HIV doesn't know it. By finding out early if you are HIV-positive, you can begin treatments now that can help you stay healthy. Click here for many additional resources from the YWCA's HIV and AIDS Resource Center.

Here at the YWCA of Charleston, we believe that change begins with every single one of us. For this reason, we encourage you to follow the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendation for routine HIV screening in health-care settings for all adults, aged 13–64 and especially all pregnant women.

Free and confidential or anonymous tests are available. In Charleston and the surrounding counties, free HIV tests are available at the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department, Putnam County Health Department, Boone County Health Department, and Clay County Health Department. Visit www.hivtest.org, call 800-232-4636, or send a text message with your Zip code to "KNOWIT" (566948) for more testing sites, hours, directions, and other details.

Take the test. Take control.