Mayor Phil Gordon Joins 5th Annual Mayors Campaign Against HIV In Support of National HIV Testing Day on June 26th
Mayor to Hold Press Conference and Take Rapid Oral HIV Test to Raise Awareness for HIV/AIDS and Encourage Local Residents to Get Tested
WHO: Mayor Phil Gordon, National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA), and OraSure Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: OSUR)
WHAT: In observance of National HIV Testing Day 2009 (NHTD), Mayor Gordon has joined NAPWA and OraSure Technologies, manufacturer of the OraQuick ADVANCE® Rapid HIV-1/2 Antibody Test, in the fifth annual Mayors Campaign Against HIV – a national campaign to promote the importance of HIV screening and prevention.
Mayor Gordon will kick off the weekend for National Testing Day by taking a rapid HIV test and holding a news conference to educate the community on the importance of HIV/AIDS prevention. There will also be a mini health fair in City Hall in rooms B & C on the first floor while free HIV testing is offered to City Employees and the general public in the Ebony House Mobile Van parked on the street outside of City Hall. Free testing will be offered from 10:00 AM to noon.
In Phoenix, OraSure is actively supporting National HIV Testing Day through its donation of 500 OraQuick ADVANCE® Rapid HIV-1/2 Antibody Tests to the Arizona Department of Health, who will distribute the test kits to the agencies listed below. These agencies and others are offering free and confidential HIV screening throughout Phoenix over the weekend of June 27th.
OraQuick ADVANCE® is safe, painless and accurate –- it requires just a swab of oral fluid (no blood or needles) and is greater than 99% accurate. Results are available in 20 minutes.
June 27th is the 5th annual National HIV Testing Day, a nationwide effort led by NAPWA and executed in partnership with major government sponsors, hundreds of local health departments, community organizations, and HIV/AIDS advocacy groups to promote the benefits of HIV testing and prevention. Thousands of local and state community events are held across the country to encourage people to seek HIV testing and counseling.
WHEN: June 26th at 9:30 AM
WHERE: City Hall, 200 West Washington, Lobby meeting rooms B & C
OTHER EVENTS: Free HIV testing will take place at the following locations/times in Phoenix on June 27:
Location Address Time
TERROS 1415 N. 1st Street Friday, June 26 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
TERROS 1415 N. 1st Street Saturday, June 27 9:00 AM– Noon
SW Center for AIDS The Off Chute too Friday, June 26 4:00 – 9:00 PM
SW Center for AIDS The Off Chute too Saturday, June 27 1:00 – 11:00 PM
SW Center for AIDS The Chute Saturday, June 27 1:00 – 11:00 PM
Ebony House City Hall Friday, June 26 10:00 AM– Noon
Ebony House Southern and 16th St. Friday, June 26 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM
FAST FACTS:
• There are currently about 9,300 reported cases of people reported living with HIV/AIDS in Maricopa County (Arizona Department of Health Services)
• The number of AIDS cases in Phoenix is growing at 12% per year (CDC)
• In Arizona, about one in 350 people are HIV positive (Maricopa County Public Health Department, Arizona Department of Health Services)
• About 25% of the 1.1 million HIV-positive in the U.S. do not know they are infected (CDC)
• Although Black Americans represent only 12% of the U.S. population, they accounted for approximately half of AIDS cases diagnosed in the United States in 2005 (CDC)
• HIV was the 4th leading cause of death for Black men and 3rd for Black women, aged 25-44, in 2004 (CDC)
• In Arizona, Blacks are at a 372% greater likelihood than all other race/ethnic groups combined to be diagnosed with HIV and/or AIDS. (Arizona Department of Health Services)
• The latest rapid testing technology utilizing oral fluid for HIV screening purposes, now enables healthcare practitioners to give patients their results in the same session – with relative ease and convenience.