Courtesy Photo
On June 27, the OASIS Clinic partnered with Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Public Health to offer free HIV testing to the local community at its 16th annual National HIV Testing Day event. In addition to free and confidential testing, the event also featured entertainment, raffle prizes, and more. Local community members showed up in droves to learn more about the importance of knowing their HIV status, and nearly 65% of the event’s attendees got tested.
HIV testing is a free and important prevention tool in the fight against HIV/AIDS. This is especially true for members of underserved communities, such as South Los Angeles, who may not have immediate access to or knowledge of these essential prevention programs. According to a recent report by the Los Angeles County Commission on HIV, South Los Angeles has one of the highest HIV/AIDS rates in the county, with approximately 10.7% of residents affected by the virus as of 2014.
Through efforts such as these, CDU continues to establish itself as a leader in addressing healthcare disparities in underserved communities, by striving to empower members of the local community to take control of their health by getting tested and educating themselves on the importance of knowing their HIV status. “The goals of the event were to raise awareness for the importance of HIV testing and to normalize the conversation of HIV status between not only sexual partners, but the community as a whole,” said Wilbert C. Jordan, MD, Founder and Director of the Oasis Clinic.
