This week the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced a two-year pilot program to offer free, rapid HIV
testing in 24 rural and urban pharmacies in order to make testing and counseling more accessible for all Americans.
One location is the Walgreens in Foggy Bottom, which has been administering HIV tests since May, according to Reuters. The
location has seen approximately five to ten people per day, and manager
Bethany Buechenmeister noted that the men and
women receiving the tests are mostly younger.
The pilot program sought out local pharmacies since
approximately 30 percent of the US population lives within a ten-minute
drive of one, and it may attract those who fear stigma from
visiting an HIV clinic. The CDC plans to provide training for
all pharmacy staff to administer the test and then provide
counseling, if results are positive.
The test involves taking an oral swab from the gum or cheek. Results are available within 20 minutes.
Approximately 1.1 million people are living with HIV
in the United States, according to the CDC—and one in five people
doesn’t
realize he or she is infected. At 2.7 percent, the District has
the highest HIV infection rate in the country. This number
has dropped in recent years, but it still remains well above
the 1 percent epidemic threshold established by the World Health
Organization.
Today is National HIV Testing Day. In addition to
Walgreens in Foggy Bottom, the DC Department of Health has provided a
list
of clinics and centers where you can take a test and learn more
about HIV.
