Walgreens and Greater Than AIDS
Partner with Health Departments and Local HIV Organizations Across the Nation
to Offer Free Testing on National HIV Testing Day
This year
brings together the highest number of participating partners, cities and
Walgreens stores to educate about effective HIV prevention and treatment
options
DEERFIELD, Ill.& San Francisco, Calif.,
June 17, 2019 – Walgreens and Greater Than AIDS are working with health departments,
HIV/AIDS service organizations, and other community organizations to provide
free HIV testing and information at select Walgreens stores in more than 260
cities on National HIV Testing Day (NHTD), Thursday, June 27 between 10 am –
7 pm (local time). Click here for a map of all participating locations.
HIV testing is recommended as part of routine
health care, yet many Americans are not being tested as often as advised.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in
seven people living with HIV in the U.S. today are unaware of their
status.
“Walgreens continues to support HIV testing since
it is a critical first step in developing effective prevention and care
strategies, regardless of status,” said Glen Pietrandoni, senior director,
patient care and advocacy, Walgreens. “With more than 3,000 HIV-trained
Walgreens pharmacists in communities across the nation, we can uniquely support
HIV testing, education and care, working towards an end to HIV/AIDS.”
In addition to offering on-site free and fast HIV
testing, counselors from local agencies will answer questions about HIV
prevention and treatment options, including PrEP. No appointment is required.
The use of antiretroviral (ARV) medications to
prevent HIV transmission, as well as PrEP, a daily pill to protect against
HIV, offer new pathways to ending HIV. Based on the strength of the
scientific advances, the White House and many states have set ambitious goals of significantly
reducing HIV infections over the next decade.
“Public knowledge has not always kept up with the
science,” said Tina Hoff, senior vice president and director of Health
Communications and Media Partnerships at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation).
“Public-private partnerships like this help to close the knowledge gaps about
HIV and connect people with services in their communities to get the care
they need.”
According to a recent national survey by KFF, which runs Greater Than
AIDS, fewer than half of Americans know about PrEP, and many understate the
health and preventative benefits of HIV treatment.
The National HIV Testing Day community partnership
is part of an ongoing commitment by Walgreens and Greater Than AIDS to extend
the reach of HIV testing and information to non-traditional settings and
support the outreach of local agencies. More than 48,000 free HIV tests have
been provided since 2011 as part of the annual event.
BioLytical Laboratories, Chembio Diagnostics, and
OraSure Technologies, Inc. are contributing donated test kits and
Abbott Rapid Diagnostics is providing support for outreach for the 2019
activation.
For a complete list of participating Walgreens
locations and supporting partners for this year’s National HIV Testing Day,
as well as additional information about HIV testing, including year-round
testing sites, visit www.greaterthan.org/walgreens.
About Walgreens
Walgreens (walgreens.com), one of the nation's
largest drugstore chains, is included in the Retail Pharmacy USA Division of
Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ: WBA), the first global pharmacy-led,
health and wellbeing enterprise. Approximately 8 million customers interact
with Walgreens in stores and online each day, using the most convenient,
multichannel access to consumer goods and services and trusted, cost-effective
pharmacy, health and wellness services and advice. As of Aug. 31, 2018,
Walgreens operates 9,560 drugstores with a presence in all 50 states, the
District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, along with its
omni-channel business, Walgreens.com. Approximately 400 Walgreens stores
offer Healthcare Clinic or other provider retail clinic services.
About Greater Than AIDS
Greater Than AIDS is a leading national public
information response from KFF focused on communities most affected. Through
targeted media messages and community outreach, Greater Than AIDS and its
partners works to increase knowledge, reduce stigma and promote actions to
stem the spread of the disease.
Filling the need for trusted information on
national health issues, the Kaiser Family Foundation is a
nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California.
|
|
|
|
|
Connect with us:
    |
Monday, June 17, 2019
Walgreens and Greater Than AIDS Partner with Health Departments and Local HIV Organizations Across the Nation to Offer Free Testing on National HIV Testing Day
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment