Cobb & Douglas Public Health partners with Walgreens, CVS Pharmacy to offer free HIV testing

Jun. 24—June 27 is recognized as National HIV Testing Day.

This is a day to encourage people to get tested for HIV, know their status and get linked to prevention services or care and treatment.

Cobb & Douglas Public Health will kick off the week filled with events in observance of NHTD at Walgreens, 4120 Austell Road in Austell on June 27 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. CDPH will be partnering with Hot 107.9 during this event.

On June 29, CDPH invites the community to visit CVS Pharmacy, 1295 Powder Springs Road in Marietta for free HIV testing from noon to 5 p.m. CDPH will also commemorate the awareness day at CVS, 3674 Highway 5 in Douglasville on June 30 from 2 to 5 p.m.

The 2022 NHTD theme is "HIV Testing is Self-Care." The topic of self-care has been particularly prominent during the COVID-19 pandemic as the need for individual and community actions to protect and promote physical and mental health have been so critical. HIV testing is an act of self-care, and knowledge of status is the gateway to engaging in prevention or treatment services that enable individuals, regardless of their status, to live a long and healthy life.

CDPH aims to engage with the array of diverse communities in Cobb County to End the HIV Epidemic, a federal initiative to eradicate HIV by 2030. Cobb County has been identified as one of the 48 counties with the highest incidence of HIV infection in the country. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 40% of new HIV infections are from people who don't know they have HIV.

CDPH continues to offer free HIV testing at the Marietta, Smyrna, Acworth-Kennesaw and Douglas Public Health Centers Monday-Friday during normal business hours. Services have expanded to include free OraQuick HIV self-test kits available for pick up or delivery.

For details, call 770-514-2815 or visit cobbanddouglaspublichealth.org.