Palmetto Community Care Offers Incentives to Get Tested National HIV Testing Day is June 27

Palmetto Community Care offices will be open for free and confidential testing on National HIV Testing Day from 8:30 am to 6 pm. The mobile testing van will be at two locations on June 27th, making it easier than ever for Charleston area residents to get tested. Confidential testing is free and open to the public. No appointment necessary.

From 6 pm to 8 am, the mobile van will be testing at WCIV ABC News 4 located at 888 Allbritton Blvd. in Mt Pleasant, and from 10 am to 3 pm at Walgreens located at 8395 Dorchester Road in North Charleston.

National HIV Testing Day (NHTD) was first observed on June 27, 1995. The 2018 theme is “Doing It My Way, Testing for HIV.” National HIV Testing Day, is an awareness day aimed at ensuring people get tested for HIV, know their status, and get the proper care and services.

Anyone who gets tested, at any Palmetto Community Care location, through June 28th will be entered into a drawing to win two tickets plus a parking pass for the Jay-Z and Beyoncé On the Run II Tour in Columbia, S.C. on Tuesday, August 21st. A winner will be randomly drawn and notified on June 29th.

“There is only one way to know whether you are HIV-positive and that is to get tested and know your status,” Adam Weaver, prevention program manager, said. “We understand that it can be scary to come in for a test, but our team is trained to help you through the process and provide information to help you and our community prevent new HIV cases.”

An estimated 1.1 million people in the United States were living with HIV at the end of 2015. Of those people, about 15 percent, or one in seven, did not know they were infected. In the Lowcountry Public Health Region, the latest data as of the end of 2016 indicates that at least 4,606 people are living with HIV/AIDS.

As of today, in 2018, Palmetto Community Care has completed:

• 700 HIV tests with 13 positive cases. All 13 positive cases are men who have sex with men, represent multiple backgrounds, and are under 35 years old.

• 225 hepatitis C tests with seven positive cases.

• 104 syphilis tests with 11 positive cases.

Comparatively, in 2017,  Palmetto Community Care completed:

• 1,680 HIV tests with 20 positive cases.

• 212 syphilis tests with 33 positive cases.

Palmetto Community Care’s prevention team is taking the van to nightclubs, community centers, health fairs, special events and select Walgreens locations around the tri-county area. The nonprofit has expanded its focus on testing, outreach and HIV prevention education to rural areas of Dorchester and Berkeley counties as well as targeted high-risk communities in Charleston County. Learn more about Palmetto Community Care’s upcoming mobile testing events.

Regularly scheduled stops for the Palmetto Community Care mobile testing van are:

• Last Thursday of the month from 9 p.m. to midnight at Dudley’s on Ann located at  42 Ann St., Charleston.

• First Tuesday and third Thursday of the month from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at One80 Place, located at  35 Walnut St., Charleston.

Palmetto Community Care offers free, confidential testing for HIV as well as chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis at its office located at 3547 Meeting Street Road in North Charleston. Testing hours are 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays and until 6 p.m. on Wednesdays. No appointment needed. Free condoms are also available.

About Palmetto Community Care: Complete compassionate HIV care + prevention

Palmetto Community Care has been helping those living with HIV for more than 25 years. It all started with a belief that no one living with HIV or AIDS should go without medical care, everyday resources or emotional support. We believe our continued commitment to our work here in the Lowcountry will help bring an end to the HIV epidemic through increased HIV testing, prevention and education. Free, confidential HIV/STI testing: 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays and until 6 p.m. on Wednesdays. No appointment needed. For more information, visit palmettocommunitycare.org.

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Press release

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