AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) , which operates the largest community-based alternative HIV and sexually transmitted disease (STD) testing program in California, has launched an innovative and eye-catching Los Angeles-area HIV prevention and testing campaign urging the public to "Stay Negative" and to visit www.freehivtest.net to find out where to get tested quickly, conveniently and at no cost.
The campaign, created by AHF, features billboards (12' X 25'and 26' X 24'), palm cards, radio spots and a significant online presence which, in addition to its own website, includes banner advertisements on KIIS, HOT, MYFM radio station websites. The attention-grabbing image of a semi-nude male with the words "Stay Negative" tattooed on his upper back is already having an impact. An increase in traffic to the www.freeHIVtest.net website has also coincided with an increase in testing at AHF sites.
"A major goal of the Stay Negative campaign is to help guide a shift in thinking around HIV testing. With its eye-catching image and simple, straightforward message, our hope is that the initiative will lead people to see HIV testing as a necessary and routine part of their health care-especially when they realize how easy it can be to access testing and obtain this crucial knowledge about their own status," said Whitney Engeran III , Director of Public Health Division for AIDS Healthcare Foundation. "There are many uncertainties when addressing people's sexual behaviors but the one thing we know for sure -HIV testing, detection and linkage to medical care works. The best way to break the chain of infection-in Los Angeles or anywhere-is for people to get tested and know their status."
A key component of the initiative is its website which contains crucial information about HIV transmission, prevention and treatment, including facts about condom use. The site also contains an extensive "myth vs. reality" section that frankly addresses false beliefs surrounding HIV that may prevent some individuals from accessing testing. Most importantly, the site lists AHF's free, community-based HIV testing locations including its Men's Wellness Center in Hollywood, select Out of the Closet Thrift Store locations and through its innovative mobile testing van that appears at public locations throughout the city including sites such as Target, Big Lots, local area churches, Food4Less, and Ross in areas of town that include Long Beach, Atwater, East Los Angeles, Venice, Inglewood and West Hollywood.