Why National HIV Testing Day Impact is Restorative to the Community

Every year on June 27, National HIV Testing Day is recognized to encourage people to get tested, learn their status, and seek care and treatment services. According to the National Institutes of Health, approximately 1.2 million people in the United States live with HIV, but one in seven people with HIV do not know they have it.

Getting tested is the first step to getting people into care and preventing the spread of the virus.

Sadly, negative attitudes and beliefs about people living with HIV prevent many individuals from getting tested. And so, at the Southwest Center, this day is used to mobilize our team to increase HIV testing, especially for those who rarely get tested or even may have never gotten tested.

And what a day it was! We organized two outreach efforts: HIV Testing at Central Arizona Shelter Services (CASS) in partnership with Chicanos Por La Causa (CPLC) Luces and hosted our Pride In Your Health: Health, Art, and Community Fair.

By the end of the day, these two events reached over 200 individuals with over 149 HIV tests being administered!

The Southwest Center Outreach team and CPLC Luces started their day early at CASS. Currently, CASS provides shelter and services to approximately 500 unsheltered people. Both groups collaborated to provide HIV testing from 8 AM - 12 PM, tirelessly working on testing as many individuals as time and supplies allowed. Snack packs were given to those getting tested, and STI testing was offered. The CASS team was very welcoming, and the partnership between the three organizations had a meaningful impact on everyone involved.

The Pride In Your Health event saw community partners, artists, vendors, and attendees come together in the spirit of community health. This was a great way to close out June Pride Month celebrations, connect attendees with health resources, and offer the opportunity to learn your status by getting an HIV test.

We celebrated our time with terrific performances from local artists. Overall, the 2023 National HIV Testing Day was an accomplishment that allowed us to engage more people to make HIV testing a part of their routine health care.

Our efforts would not be possible without the support of generous partners, including Phoenix Fast Track Cities, Gilead, Phoenix Pride, and Aunt Rita's Foundation. And the partnership of CPLC Luces and CASS. Many thanks to everyone who supported these efforts and to every organization that mobilized their teams to increase HIV testing and progress toward ending the HIV epidemic.