NY's Iris House Offers Free HIV Testing on Natl. Latino AIDS Awareness Day

Today is National Latino AIDS Awareness Day, and the New York women-focused AIDS Service Organization Iris House serves up some grim statistics, and offers free OraQuick Rapid HIV testing at all three of their locations.

"At Iris House, more than 40 percent of the people we serve every year are Hispanic/Latino.�Join us today to encourage your friends and family to get tested, to know their status and to take action to protect themselves and their loved ones," wrote Iris House in a recent press release.

This year's theme, "You and I Will Defeat AIDS (Tu y Yo Vamos a Derrotar al SIDA)," is a call to action to work together to end the spread of HIV. It asks each of us to learn and share the facts about HIV, get tested and stay in medical care if we are living with HIV.

More than 1.2 million people are living with HIV in the United States, and more than 47,000 new cases were identified in 2013. Hispanics/Latinos, only 17 percent of the U.S. population, are disproportionately affected by HIV, making up 21 percent of people living with HIV and 23 percent of people who get an HIV diagnosis.

In addition:

� In 2013, Hispanics/Latinos had the second highest rate of new HIV diagnoses compared to other races/ethnicities.

� Men accounted for 85 percent of the estimated new HIV diagnoses among Hispanics/Latinos in 2013. Most of the new diagnoses among Hispanic/Latino men occurred among gay and bisexual men (81 percent).

� By age group, the highest rate of HIV diagnosis among Hispanics/Latinos occurred among those aged 25-34 years.

A number of factors contribute to the burden of HIV in Hispanic/Latino communities, including limited access to health care, language or cultural barriers in health care settings, traditional gender norms and stigma around homosexuality.

"Iris House is offering testing and education events at its offices in East and Central Harlem today," write organizers.�"We are also partnering with New Jersey Fitness to provide testing from 2-6 p.m. at 417 Park Avenue in Plainfield, NJ� 07060. Come in and get a free, confidential and rapid HIV test, Hepatitis C Test, or test for gonorrhea, syphilis or chlamydia. It's all free!"

Rapid HIV Testing features:

� OraQuick HIV Rapid Testing (a person can receive their results in 20 minutes)

� HIV pre/post counseling conducted during the testing session.

� Many people with HIV do not get tested until late in their infection.
�
� 20 percent of people living with HIV are unaware of their status

� Early treatment saves lives:� Know your status by getting tested today.

In addition to HIV Rapid tests, Iris House also offers Hepatitis C Tests and testing for Gonorrhea, Chlamydia and Syphilis during the same hours. Hepatitis C Test results are available in twenty minutes. STI test results will be available in one week.

Your counselor may also offer a referral to you for substance abuse or mental health issues such as depression or anxiety.

Iris House offers�free and confidential�HIV Rapid Tests at all three Iris House locations on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Thursdays, their East Side location remains open until 7:30 p.m. For addresses or directions to each location, visit http://www.irishouse.org/