Free, confidential HIV testing at Northern California ‘Out of the Closet’ locations

AIDS Healthcare Foundation: To commemorate World AIDS Day 2009, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), together with local partners, will offer free, confidential HIV testing at all five of its popular Bay Area “Out of the Closet” Thrift Stores on Tuesday, December 1^st, from 12:00 noon to 7:00 p.m. The events are part of AHF’s World AIDS Day 2009 “Testing Millions” campaign which seeks to test several million people for HIV in conjunction with this year’s observance of World AIDS Day.

Partnering with AHF for the testing events in Northern California will be Asian Pacific Islander Wellness Center, the City of Berkeley Department of Health Services’ Public Health Division, La Clinica de la Raza, Asian Health Services, and the Berkeley Free Clinic. In addition, AHF is partnering with Levi Strauss & Co. to provide free, voluntary testing for employees at the company headquarters in San Francisco.

“All are encouraged to visit any Northern California ‘Out of the Closet’ location on Tuesday, December 1^st, to take advantage of the extended testing hours, as finding out your HIV status is so important to protecting your health and the health of your partners,” said Adam Ouderkirk, Bay Area Regional Director for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. “AIDS Healthcare Foundation would like to thank all of our Northern California partners for participating in this unique global World AIDS Day testing effort and for making such a tremendous contribution to the health and well-being of the Bay Area community.”

“More than 25 years in this work have taught us that access to HIV testing sites and stigma around testing are two critical global issues in fighting this pandemic. To commemorate World AIDS Day and help encourage our employees to learn their status, we’re very proud to partner with the AIDS Healthcare Foundation to offer voluntary free HIV testing for employees at our San Francisco headquarters,” said Cathy Unruh, Senior Vice President, Worldwide Human Resources, Levi Strauss & Co.

“Out of the Closet,” the world’s most fabulous thrift store, is a chain of twenty stores in Northern and Southern California and in South Florida, owned and operated by AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the largest specialized provider of cutting-edge medicine and advocacy regardless of ability to pay. “Out of the Closet” Thrift Stores generate income that helps fund the medical services AHF provides. Ninety-six cents of every dollar earned goes to providing HIV/AIDS treatment, testing and prevention. In addition to regular retail operations, many store locations also offer free HIV testing and counseling on a regular basis. The “Out of the Closet” HIV testing program is part of AHF’s larger testing effort — now the largest alternative testing program in California conducting more than 15,000 HIV tests per year.

The Northern California testing events are part of a global effort to test several million people for HIV in conjunction with this year’s observation of World AIDS Day on Tuesday, December 1^st. AHF is spearheading and coordinating the campaign. “Testing Millions” has been organized by AHF in coalition with hundreds of global partners from 52 countries around the world. AHF is mobilizing non-governmental organizations (NGOs), local and national governments, international relief agencies, faith-based organizations and civil society to participate. The goal: a worldwide commitment to conduct millions of free HIV tests during the extended week surrounding World AIDS Day.

Last year, AHF led the successful ‘One Million Tests/World AIDS Day 2008’ campaign which far exceeded its worldwide goal of performing one million tests by testing 1,603,272 people and identifying 61,399 HIV positive individuals.

“We are using a number of streamlined rapid HIV testing strategies which we successfully used in last year’s campaign including group pre-test counseling models coupled with easy referrals and linkage to antiretroviral treatment and follow-up care whenever necessary,” said Terri Ford, Senior Director of Global Policy and Advocacy for AHF and Coordinator of the ‘Testing Millions’ campaign, in a statement from Africa where she is taking part AHF’s own ‘Testing Millions’ World AIDS Day efforts. “The commitment and incredible energy of our partners around the globe helped make our 2008 testing campaign an unprecedented success. Our goal last year was to do one million tests — a goal we far surpassed by testing over 1.6 million people, identifying 61,399 HIV positive individuals in the process. This year, working together with our growing list of partners in 52 countries, we plan to double that number and do more than three million tests with the hope that we exceed that goal, much as we did with last year’s campaign.”

“As we kick off our second year with this World AIDS Day HIV testing campaign, our global collaborators are increasingly speaking with a united voice to advocate for easily accessible HIV testing in their communities as well as for greater access to lifesaving antiretroviral treatment worldwide,” said Michael Weinstein, President of AIDS Healthcare Foundation. “People know that antiretroviral treatment saves lives; treatment also helps prevent further transmission of the virus. Our mantra remains ‘testing and treatment’ around the globe.”

Additional information is available at www.testingmillions.org and www.aidshealth.org.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation