News and Stories: Free HIV Tests to Be Offered on April 1 at 19 PPIN Health Centers Around the State

Free Tests Part of ‘GYT: Get Yourself Tested’ Campaign and National STD Awareness Month
Planned Parenthood of Indiana today announced that it will be offering free HIV tests at 19 of its health centers across the state on April 1.

The free tests will be available at the following locations on that date:

Avon
Bloomington
Columbus
Evansville
Fort Wayne
Indianapolis-Castleton
Indianapolis-Eastside
Indianapolis-Midtown
Indianapolis-Southside
Hammond
Lafayette
Madison
Merrillville
Mishawaka
Muncie
Richmond
Terre Haute
Valparaiso
Warsaw

Appointments are recommended. PPIN is offering the tests as part of the “GYT: Get Yourself Tested” campaign, a partnership between Planned Parenthood, MTV, the Kaiser Family Foundation and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) aimed at encouraging young people to get tested for sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs). The campaign is held annually during April, in conjunction with National STD Awareness Month. Patients will also be encouraged to be tested for other STDs while at PPIN health centers, especially since one in two sexually active adults will have an STD by the age of 25.

According to the most recent statistics compiled by the Indiana State Department of Health, more than 9,600 people were diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in Indiana by the end of 2009. The disease continues to be male-dominated in the state, with the number of diagnosed men almost four times higher than that of women.

Among the new HIV/AIDS diagnoses in 2009, African-Americans have a rate (35.3) that is almost three times the rate of Hispanics (12.0) and more than seven times that of whites (4.2).

Additional GYT plans for April include encouraging patients to get tested for all types of STDs through bulletin boards at health centers, tabling events and educational programs around the state.

To find the PPIN health center nearest you, and to make an appointment for a free HIV test, please go to www.ppin.org/locations. And to learn more about the GYT campaign, please visit www.GYTNOW.org.