Walgreens to offer free HIV tests

NEW YORK — Walgreens and Greater Than AIDS are teaming up this year to offer free HIV testing in more than 150 cities across the country.

State and local health departments will provide trained counselors to conduct the testing and will provide results on-site within minutes.

“Walgreens is committed to being a part of the solution to end AIDS, and National HIV Testing Day provides a great opportunity to help share critical health information and encourage HIV testing,” said Glen Pietrandoni, senior director of virology, specialty products and services at Walgreens. “Working in collaboration with Greater Than AIDS and various community partners during the past four years, we have helped nearly 20,000 people access free testing. We are pleased to be able to continue to help make it easier for those in the communities that we serve to know their status.”

Free tests, including those donated by Alere North America, BioLytical Laboratories and The D.I.V.A. Foundation, will be available at the testing sites located at select Walgreens in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, St. Louis and San Francisco, among other cities during a three-day period:

• Thursday, June 25 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

• Friday, June 26 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

• Saturday, June 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises that all Americans be screened for HIV as a routine part of medical care, many Americans have never been tested or are not being tested as often as recommended, according to national surveys by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Of the more than 1.2 million people living with HIV in the U.S., an estimated one in seven do not know that they are infected and only three in 10 are in ongoing care and treatment.

“We have come so far in our understanding of HIV,” said Tina Hoff, senior vice president and director of health communication and media partnerships at the Kaiser Family Foundation. “Today, there are very effective treatments that not only help people with HIV to enjoy long, healthy lives but also significantly reduce the chances of passing the virus to others. Knowing one’s status is a crucial first step.”

Walgreens operates 8,232 drugstores with a presence in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.