In honor of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, the Florida Department of Health in Orange County’s Area 7 program will host a free testing event this weekend.
The event will take place on Saturday, February 5, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Lake Lorna Doone Park (1519 W Church Street).
According to health officials, the event serves to raise awareness and educate the community on ways to prevent the transmission of the HIV virus. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2018, more than 16,000 African American people received an HIV diagnosis, representing 42% of all new HIV diagnoses; yet, African American people make up only 13% of the US population.
The event will also include health screenings, free COVID-19 testing, live entertainment, a kid zone, food and beverage vendors, and raffle prizes.
To better serve residents and to fight the spread of HIV within the region, the Florida Department of Health in Orange County (DOH-Orange) offers free at-home HIV testing kits to residents of Orange, Osceola, Seminole, and Brevard counties. Residents of those counties can request a kit by visiting the Talk Test Treat Central Florida.
The self-administered kit will be mailed to individuals at no cost and comes with step-by-step instructions, the oral testing swab, and test tube. To learn more about the At-Home HIV Test Kit program, call 407-858-1400 or email Dlchd48area7@flhealth.gov.