(Santa Ana, CA) — This year National Latinx AIDS Awareness Day (NLAAD) celebrates 20 years of raising awareness in the Latinx community about the importance of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing, prevention, and treatment. NLAAD is focused on raising awareness about:
- Getting tested and knowing your HIV status;
- Using condoms for protection from HIV and other Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs);
- Knowing prevention options if HIV-negative, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) may help protect you from getting HIV; and
- Learning about new treatment options to get and stay virally suppressed, which means having an undetectable viral load, if HIV-positive.
NLAAD is important in Orange County (OC) because, at the end of 2022, there were 6,916 persons living with HIV locally. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates, there are an additional 1,288 OC residents living with HIV and do not know it.
Many of these people had been to an emergency room, a community health center, or their doctor but were not tested for HIV. According to the Latino Commission on AIDS, in 2021, 55% of Latinx had never been tested for HIV in their lifetime1. Therefore, it is crucial that the Latinx community have routine HIV testing as part of their medical care.
Every adolescent and adult should get an HIV test at least once as part of routine health care, and those at increased risk of HIV should be tested more regularly. Knowing your HIV status is important to help prevent new HIV infections.
Ending the HIV epidemic requires everyone to do their part. If you have never been tested for HIV, ask your doctor for an HIV test. Free, confidential HIV testing is available at the agencies listed below.
- AltaMed: Call (714) 500-0491 or visit HIV Testing Services (altamed.org)
- Testing is offered Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Testing information is also available on social media at https://www.instagram.com/growproud
- APAIT Health Center: Call (714) 636-1349 or visit www.apaitonline.org/ for more information.
- Testing is offered Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Walk-ins are welcome. Appointments are preferred.
- Families Together Orange County: Call (800) 597-7977 or visit https://familiestogetheroc.org/. Testing is offered at three locations:
- Tustin:
- Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (limited Saturday appointments)
- Garden Grove:
- Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (limited Saturday appointments; every 1stand 3rd Saturday of every month)
- Fountain Valley:
- Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Tustin:
- OC Health Care Agency/17th Street Testing, Treatment and Care Clinic: Call (714) 834-8787 to make an appointment or visit http://www.ochealthinfo.com/std for more information. Walk-ins are accepted based on availability. Clinic hours:
- Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Radiant Health Centers: Call (949) 809-5700 or visit www.radianthealthcenters.org/ for more information. Walk-ins based only on availability, please call first. Hours:
- The LGBT Center Orange County: For an appointment or more information call (714) 953-5428 or visit www.lgbtcenteroc.org/. Testing is offered:
- Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
- Wednesday and Thursday, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
For more testing sites and information about HIV services in OC, please call (714) 834-8335 or visit www.ochealthinfo.com/phs/about/dcepi/hiv/sites.
To list or find NLAAD events visit www.nlaad.org.
1 National Latinx AIDS Awareness Day. Infographics: HIV Among Latinos. https://nlaad.org/
