New York State Department of Health Launches HIV Self-Test Giveaway Campaign
To Receive a Free HIV Self-Test, Individuals Should Complete an Eligibility Survey
National HIV Testing Day is June 27
ALBANY, N.Y. (June 27, 2023) –The New York State Department of Health is highlighting the importance of HIV self-testing as a tool to empower individuals to embrace sexual health and mitigate the transmission of HIV. To make HIV testing easier, the Department is launching its eighth HIV Self-Test giveaway campaign, which runs statewide from June 26 to August 6.
"Today on HIV Testing Day, and through August 6, we are giving away free HIV self-testing kits because they are an accurate, quick and private way for people to learn their HIV status," State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said. "Knowing your status empowers you to take steps to protect your health whether it's getting treatment or considering medicine to prevent infection, also known as Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). The HIV Self-Test Giveaway is another investment in our response to ending the HIV endemic in New York State."
The week of June 26-30 is also HIV Testing Week. New York State's first HIV Self-Test Giveaway began in 2016 as a pilot project to reach those who identify as men who have sex with men. Since the first giveaway, the Department of Health's public health experts expanded access to prioritize the broader LGBTQ+ community including transgender or genderqueer/gender non-conforming people who have sex with men, and heterosexual, bisexual cisgender Black women and Latinas. This fall, the Department is planning another HIV Self-Test Giveaway.
An HIV self-test kit allows people to know their HIV status quickly, accurately and conveniently. Testing and identifying people with HIV who remain undiagnosed and linking them to supportive healthcare services is the first point in the State's plan to End the Epidemic.
Current estimates indicate that more than 112,000 New Yorkers are living with HIV, approximately 7,000 of whom do not know their HIV status. Since the start of the HIV Self-Test Giveaway, approximately 30% of program participants reported that they had never been tested for HIV.
To receive a free HIV self-test, individuals complete an eligibility survey and, if eligible, are emailed a promotional code that is redeemable at OraSure Technologies' website, the Department's partner on this initiative. Individuals may also receive the eligibility survey by texting the word 'test' to 40457 at any time throughout the year. Additional information and resources about HIV testing are also available to all New Yorkers at the Department's website.
DOH greatly respects the importance of each New Yorker's privacy when it comes to sensitive health matters. These self-test kits allow users to maintain complete confidentiality throughout the testing process, empowering them to take charge of their health discreetly.
The Department's AIDS Institute promotes the HIV Self-Test Giveaway through creative digital advertising on social media networks such a Facebook, Twitter, and online dating apps. To locate a free, confidential HIV, STI or hepatitis test, visit gettested.cdc.gov.
To learn more about the AIDS Institute and HIV, visit health.ny.gov.
To receive a free HIV self-test, individuals should complete an eligibility survey at https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/7293424/HSTG-2023-Summer-Eligibility-Survey.
Moreinformation and resources about HIV testing are available to all New Yorkers at the Department's website.
Source: New York State Department of Health
https://www.health.ny.gov/press/releases/2023/2023-06-27-hiv_self_test.htm
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