June 27th: AHF to Host National HIV Testing Day Events
AHF to hold a dozen or so events nationwide to promote ‘Your Health,
Your Victory!’ HIV testing & prevention efforts; Olympics-themed
campaign graphics evoke iconic cereal box cover art from generations ago.
LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–AIDS
Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization,
will commemorate National
HIV Testing Day—formally observed on Monday, June 27th—through
a series of a dozen or more events promoting HIV prevention, testing and
treatment that AHF will host across the United States over the next
several days.
“We know that HIV testing and treatment are the best ways to prevent the
spread of the virus that burdens communities and, if left unsuppressed,
threatens thousands of lives annually. With recent reports showing that
people in some regions are actually being diagnosed with AIDS because
they weren’t tested and the virus detected at an early stage, this
year’s National HIV Testing Day is a call to action that is more
important than ever,” said Alexander Goncalves, Director of
Public Health for Testing Services for AHF. “In addition to our regular
everyday testing services and hours at our centers nationwide, we’re
also pulling out all the stops at these NHTD special events across the
country to stress the importance of everyone knowing their HIV status
and getting connected to medical treatment, if needed.”
According to the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 1.2 million
people in the United States are currently living with HIV, with almost
50,000 people becoming infected with the virus annually. With one in
seven people being unaware of their HIV status, the CDC has found that
more than 90 percent of new HIV infections in the United States could be
prevented by testing and diagnosing people who have HIV and connecting
them to medical care to suppress the virus.
To promote its 2016 National HIV Testing Day events, AHF’s graphics
feature an Olympics theme including an update of the iconic Wheaties
cereal box cover art, which over the years has featured a number of
prominent medal-winning athletes and celebrities. Two versions of AHF’s
“Your Health, Your Victory!” artwork encourage people to get tested and
learn their HIV status. Supporters of National HIV Testing Day are
encouraged to include #TestWithAHF and the official #NHTD hashtag on
their social media posts honoring the commemoration.
For a list of AHF’s National HIV Testing Day events, please click here.
For AHF’s regular HIV testing hours, locations and services, visit www.freeHIVTest.net.
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS
organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to over
639,000 individuals in 36 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin
America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region and Eastern Europe. To learn
more about AHF, please visit our website: www.aidshealth.org,
find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/aidshealth
and follow us on Twitter: @aidshealthcare
and Instagram: @aidshealthcare
Contacts
AIDS Healthcare Foundation
Ged Kenslea, Senior Director,
Communications
+1.323.308.1833 work
+1.323.791.5526 mobile
gedk@aidshealth.org
or
Christopher
Johnson, Associate Director of Communications
+1.323.960.4846
work
+1.310.880.9913 mobile
christopher.johnson@aidshealth.org
