Planned Parenthood Offering Free HIV Testing

POUGHKEEPSIE – Recently, Planned Parenthood Mid-Hudson Valley recognizes National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day and reaffirms their commitment to promoting access to HIV testing and treatment, addressing stigma, and centering the work of Black community leaders working to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Throughout Black History Month, Planned Parenthood is honoring the organizing efforts of Black community leaders through #28DaysofPower. As they work alongside these leaders to address the disproportionate impact of HIV/AIDS on Black communities, they are dedicated to highlighting the importance of access to comprehensive HIV prevention and care.

Planned Parenthood Mid-Hudson Valley will offer free HIV testing at college campuses and other locations across a four-county region throughout mid-February, including:
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 13 at SUNY Orange (Newburgh campus)
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 14 at Vassar College Sexpo
10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 14 at SUNY Ulster
11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018 at SUNY Sullivan
4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018 at SUNY Dutchess (student residents)
11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 15 at SUNY Dutchess (health office)
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 15 at SUNY Orange (Middletown campus)
2:30 to 5:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 16, 2018, PPMHV “Youth Asks” event at Millard Building, Kingston

Additionally, Planned Parenthood Mid-Hudson Valley is thrilled to begin integrating pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a daily medicine that significantly lowers one’s chances of contracting HIV, into its comprehensive HIV prevention and education efforts later this year.

Despite lifesaving advances in treatment and prevention, HIV remains an urgent public health crisis, especially for certain marginalized communities that face obstacles to affordable, quality health care. According to a 2015 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) surveillance report, Black people account for four in 10 Americans living with HIV and nearly half of all new HIV infections.

“Despite revolutionary strides in HIV research, disproportionately high HIV rates and barriers to care remain grave issues for Black people,” says Planned Parenthood Mid-Hudson Valley President and Chief Executive Officer Ruth-Ellen Blodgett. “It is imperative that culturally competent health care providers build and maintain trust within the communities they serve.

At Planned Parenthood Mid-Hudson Valley, making HIV prevention education and services accessible to populations facing stigma and discrimination that hinder their access to compassionate care and increase their risk of HIV — including Black women, trans people, young people, and men who have sex with men — directly supports our mission to empower all people to lead healthy, safe lives.”