Today is National HIV Testing Day – which encourages everyone to “level up their self love” and check their HIV status. Testing is free and easy here in the hi-desert, and today the Morongo Basin Healthcare District is making the tests and their knowledge even easier to access.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2022 an estimated 1.2 million people in the United States had HIV, but 13% of those weren’t aware of their HIV status. That’s over 150,000 unaware people that could potentially spread the virus to others.
Ending the HIV epidemic in the US means more people need to be aware of their status, as well as the treatment and prevention options for HIV. People with a positive HIV result can start antiretroviral therapy (ART) to stay healthy and live with the disease – and there are preventative measures for those at a higher-risk for exposures as well.
HIV can affect anyone regardless of sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, gender, age or where they live.
The CDC encourages everyone aged 13 to 64 to get tested at least once. The Morongo Basin Healthcare District will be at Walgreens in Yucca Valley today from 10AM to 2PM handing out home HIV tests and answering any questions.
If you can’t make it to Walgreens today to pick up a test, they are always available at the Morongo Basin Healthcare District – you can get more info at https://www.mbhdistrict.org/ or swing by Walgreens today until 2.
