National HIV Testing Day Health Fair

The Faith-Based Action Coalition of San Diego (FBAC) will be hosting its tenth annual National HIV Testing Day event on Saturday, June 25, 2022, 10:00 AM – 2:00 P.M.  This event will take place at the Malcolm X Library parking lot located at 5148 Market St. San Diego, CA 92114 in the Southeast San Diego community. Along with HIV testing, this event is designed to provide advocacy, education, prevention, and awareness of HIV/AIDS to San Diego County.

There are more than 1 million people in the United States living with HIV, however one out of every four do not know that they are HIV-infected.  Could you be one of them?   It is important to know that HIV is the virus that causes AIDS and the only way to know if you have HIV is to get tested.

• While only representing 5% of the San Diego County population, African Americans account for 12% of all new HIV infections according to the most recent information collected by the Community Epidemiology in 2020.
• African Americans are the most disproportionately impacted racial/ethnic group across all sub-populations (e.g., men, women, youth, MSM) in the United States – at all stages of the disease – from new infections to deaths

This event is a collaborative effort between faith-based and community-based organizations throughout San Diego County. Participating agencies include: The County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency, UCSD – AVRC, Family Health Centers of San Diego, Christie’s Place, and the AIDS Healthcare Foundation Pharmacy.

The Faith-Based Action Coalition is encouraging everyone to get tested for HIV on June 25 and 27, 2022.  If a person is HIV positive and isn’t aware of their status, they could unknowingly pass the virus to others.  If a person is HIV positive and is aware of it, spreading the virus to others can be prevented. While there is no cure for HIV, medications are available to help individuals living with HIV to live healthy lives and significantly reduce the risk of spreading the virus.

Free, confidential HIV testing will be provided, courtesy of our community partner agencies. The Rapid HIV Test detects whether a person has been infected with the HIV virus by way of an oral sample; test results are produced within twenty minutes. Be aware that no blood draws or needles are required for rapid tests. For HIV testing sites near you, visit www.hivtest.org.

To find out more about National HIV Testing Day, please visit:

https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/library/awareness/testingday.htm