PRIDE OFFERING TESTING

ABIGAIL KESSLER

Arizona Daily Sun

Coconino County Health and Human Services (CCHHS) and North Country Healthcare (NCHC) will be partnering to offer free rapid human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing at the upcoming Pride in the Pines celebration. Rapid HIV testing will be available on Saturday, June 18 from 12 to 5 p.m.

As of 2019, a total of 17,330 Arizona residents over age 13 had been diagnosed with HIV. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that 1,189,700 people across the United States had HIV by the end of 2019, about 87% of whom had been diagnosed.

“The only way to know for sure whether you have HIV is to get tested,” according to the CDC. It recommends everyone between the ages of 13 and 64 be tested at least once. Those with higher risk factors should be tested at least once a year.

Organizations in Coconino County that o er HIV and other

STD testing year-round include Planned Parenthood, Native Americans for Community Action (NACA), NCHC and CCHHS. A full list of locations can be found at gettested.cdc.gov.

CCHHS o ers STI testing, which includes HIV testing, at its Health and Wellness Clinic (2625 N. King St), as well as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).

This program “does not require paperwork or insurance for charting or patient records” and services through the Health and Wellness Clinic are available on a sliding scale fee. More about the clinic can be found at coconino.az.gov/1976/ Health-and-Wellness-Clinic or by calling 928-679-722.

NCHC also o ers HIV prevention, testing and education services. These include care clinics, screening, prevention classes and several aid programs. More information is available at north countryhealthcare.org/commu nity-programs/hivaids-treat ment-and-services or by calling 928-522-9454.