Aunt Rita’s Foundation and Arizona Department of Health Services team up with Walgreens and Greater Than AIDS
Courtesy of Aunt Rita's Foundation – June 25, 2015
Aunt Rita’s Foundation and Arizona Department of Health Services HIV Prevention Program are teaming up with Walgreens and Greater Than AIDS to offer free HIV testing.
Testing events are scheduled June 25-27 at select Walgreens stores in support of National HIV Testing Day, June 27.
According the Arizona Department of Health Services' 2013 statistics, there are more than 20,000 people living with HIV in Arizona. Additionally, it is estimated that more than 3,000 of Arizona's HIV-positive individuals do not know they are positive.
According to Aunt Rita's Foundation, getting medical care and taking medicines regularly helps you live a longer, healthier life and also lowers the chances of passing HIV on to others by as much as 96 percent.
Testing will take place at the following locations June 25 and 26 from 3-7 p.m. and June 27 from 10 a.m.-2 .p.m.
Phoenix Walgreens Testing Locations:
Walgreens #6063
1825 W. Bethany Home Road (19th Avenue & Bethany Home Road)
Walgreens #4722
4111 N. 24th Street (24th Street & Indian School Road)
Walgreens #10111
3434 W. Southern Avenue (35th & Southern avenues)
For additional testing locations in Phoenix, visit hivaz.org/content/iknowmine.
Tucson Walgreens Testing Locations:
Walgreens #4045
4685 E. Grant Road (Grant & Swan roads)
Walgreens #6766
1880 E. Irvington Road
For additional testing locations in Tucson, visit hivaz.org/content/iknowmine.
Testing Information:
Fourth generation HIV testing provide a new advantage in the detection of HIV/AIDS. Earlier rapid screening tests relied solely on the presence of antibodies, which are our bodies response to an infection and can take up to 45 days to appear. Now with the new Alere Determine HIV Combo Test, antibodies as well as the p24 antigen, which is an actual particle of the HIV virus, which can show up in as little as 12 days.
The Alere test is a new rapid test that takes 20 minute. Currently it is only available right now at Native Health HIV Services, who will be doing the testing at the Walgreens at 1825 West Bethany Home Road Phoenix, as well as Southwest Center for HIV/Aids. The rapid screening test that is currently being used is a two minute antibody screening test.