(Paducah, KY) – (CLARKSVILLENOW) Heartland CARES, Inc. (HCI) in partnership with St. Luke Free Clinic, the Christian County Health Department and Jennie Stuart Health, will be providing fast, free and confidential HIV testing in Hopkinsville as part of National HIV Testing Day, Thursday, June 29, 2017 from 10:00 am until 5:30 pm.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that all people ages 13-64 get tested at least once. People at higher risk should be tested at least once per year and people who engage in more risky behaviors benefit from even more frequent testing.
HCI staff and trained volunteers will administer the rapid test at St. Luke Free Clinic in Hopkinsville, 408 West 17th Street, across from Jennie Stuart Medical Center. The rapid test takes approximately 15 minutes and requires a slight finger prick.
In addition to Heartland CARES’ clinic in Paducah, the organization offers clinic hours once a month in Hopkinsville at St. Luke. HCI’s physician, medical staff, and medical case managers are all available on these visits.
According to the CDC and the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, one in eight Americans who are infected with HIV do not know it. At least one Kentuckian is diagnosed with HIV every day.
Heartland CARES, Inc. is a non-profit, service organization providing comprehensive, client-centered, quality health care, support services, prevention education, and HIV testing in western Kentucky and southern Illinois. Quality health care is provided to persons living with HIV/AIDS, support services are provided to clients and their families, and prevention education and testing are provided to clients, their families, and the community at large. Within the community, we strive to prevent new infections and reduce the stigma associated with this disease by promoting awareness, acceptance, and equality.
“Our trained and caring staff and volunteers counsel everyone who comes in for a test and link anyone who tests positive to care immediately through Heartland CARES,” according to Heartland CARES Executive Director Donna Reeder. “We are proud to increase our presence in Hopkinsville and Christian county. We hope our additional presence will encourage more people to get tested and if necessary, be linked to care,” Reeder added.
“St. Luke Free Clinic is happy to partner with Heartland Cares to bring this testing opportunity to Christian and the surrounding counties. The health of our community is very important to us,” said St. Luke Free Clinic Director Sara Nell Payne. As an incentive for testing, the first 20 people who come in for an HIV test will receive a $10 Walmart gift card and have an opportunity to win one of four $50 Walmart gift cards.
Payne said there has been a slight increase in local HIV cases. “I think since it’s no longer in the news all of the time, people kind of let their guard down about it. But it’s still there, AIDS is a very treatable illness now. It’s best to get it caught, caught early and treated,” Payne said.
For more on the HIV Testing Day in Hopkinsville, Thursday, June 29 go to www.hcares.org or call 270-444-8183.