HIV Testing Day

DEKALB ADDICTION CLINIC HOSTS NATIONAL HIV TESTING DAY EVENT IN DECATUR ON JUNE 27

Featuring Community Health Fair, Free Testing, and a Free Lunch for those who are Tested

DECATUR, June 1, 2013 – One in five people in the US living with HIV do not know they are infected. The DeKalb Community Service Board (CSB) and the National Coalition of 100 Black Women Stone Mountain-Lithonia Chapter want to change those statistics by partnering to sponsor free HIV testing and a community health fair on Thursday, June 27 for National HIV Testing Day. Testing will be available for anyone age 17 or older at the DeKalb Addiction Clinic, located at 455 Winn Way in Decatur, Georgia.

Finger prick testing will be conducted from 8:30am to 7pm. Participants will receive their results within 20 minutes and a free lunch starting at 11am. The event will include a community health fair with health information and resources from local organizations. If needed, personnel at the DeKalb Addiction Clinic can make references for follow-up services to the DeKalb Board of Health or other healthcare facility. For more information, please contact Margaret Renfroe, DeKalb CSB’s HIV Risk Reduction Counselor, at 404-508-6430.

Since 1995, HIV Testing Day has been a national observance to promote HIV testing. This year's theme is "Healing Stigma." Testing at the DeKalb Addiction Clinic is coordinated by Margaret Renfroe who has worked in this field for more than 20 years. “I feel that everyone should be tested for HIV. If you know your status, you can do something about it,” Renfroe said. “For those who are positive, you can take care of yourself by learning to eat more healthy, get plenty of rest and exercise regularly. For those who are negative, you want to remain negative by protecting yourself. I know people that have been HIV positive for more than 25 years and still remain healthy to this day.”

The National Coalition for 100 Black Women Stone Mountain-Lithonia Chapter is joining the DeKalb CSB to support the event. Chapter President Luevenia McCain Holloway said, “As the HIV infection continues to grow, so does public apathy. The National Coalition of 100 Black Women Stone Mountain Lithonia continues to remain vigilant in our commitment to keep the HIV virus and AIDS epidemic before the public. This begins with a community push for HIV testing.”

For more facts, information and resources about HIV and AIDS, please visit http://aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/.