Take the Test & Take the Next Step: Check your status and know.
(Santa Ana, CA) - National HIV Testing Day (NHTD) is June 27 and Orange County (OC) residents are encouraged to “Take the Test & Take the Next Step” to know your status for HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). Knowing your status is the first step to engaging in prevention or treatment services that enable individuals, regardless of your status, to live a long and healthy life.
The OC Health Care Agency (HCA) along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that people between 13 and 64 years of age get tested for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, at least once as part of routine health care. For those at high risk of HIV, men who have sex with men (MSM), transgender individuals, and persons who inject drugs, the recommendation is for testing at least once per year as part of routine health care. If you have been waiting or thinking about getting tested for HIV, now’s the time.
If you have never been tested for HIV, ask your health care provider for an HIV test. For those who test negative and are at high risk for HIV, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), a medication to prevent HIV is available. In addition to health care providers throughout Orange County, the following agencies offer free confidential HIV testing and free or low-cost PrEP services:
- APAIT Health Center: Testing is offered Monday - Friday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Call (714) 636-1349 or visit www.apaitonline.org/ for more information. In recognition of NHTD, testing hours will be extended from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and walk-ins are encouraged on Tuesday, June 27. In addition, APAIT will be participating in The Greater Than AIDS campaign (www.greaterthan.org) offering free HIV testing in partnership with Walgreens located at 12001 Euclid St., Garden Grove, CA 92840 and Walgreens located at 128 S. State College Blvd., Anaheim, CA 92806 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on NHTD at both Walgreens locations.
- OC Health Care Agency/17th Street Testing & Treatment Clinic: Walk-ins accepted based on availability. Clinic hours: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call (714) 834-8787 to make an appointment or visit http://www.ochealthinfo.com/std for more information.
- Radiant Health Centers: Walk-ins accepted. Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Wednesday and Thursday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Call (949) 809-8764 or visit www.radianthealthcenters.org for more information.
- The LGBTQ Center Orange County: Testing is offered Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., and Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. To make an appointment or for more information call (714) 953-5428 or visit www.lgbtqcenteroc.org/. A special gift will be offered to those who test on Tuesday, June 27 in celebration of NHTD.
For HIV self-testing, the TakeMeHome Program offers free confidential HIV self-test kits that can be ordered online for individuals (17 or older) who are at risk for HIV and have never tested or who have not tested in the past six months: https://takemehome.org.
For more testing sites and information about HIV services in Orange County, please call (714) 834-8335 or visit www.ochealthinfo.com/phs/about/dcepi/hiv/sites.
HIV in Orange County:
- At the end of 2022, there were 6,916 people living with HIV in Orange County.
- The CDC estimates that an additional 1,288 Orange County residents have HIV and don’t know it, and some will develop AIDS before knowing they have HIV.
- During 2022, there were 259 Orange County residents newly diagnosed with AIDS. Of those, 22% (or 57) learned they had HIV at the same time, indicating they were living with HIV for many years before getting ill. Many had been to a health care setting like an emergency room, a community health center, or their doctor, but were not tested for HIV. A simple HIV test and treatment can prevent HIV from progressing to AIDS.
- Advances in HIV treatment have resulted in people living with HIV living longer and having fewer medical conditions directly related to HIV and AIDS. In 2022, 77% of individuals living with HIV in Orange County received care. Of the 259 individuals newly diagnosed in 2022, 76% were linked to care in 30 days or less.
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