Damien Center, Walgreens team up for free HIV testing

June 27--Friday is National HIV Testing Day, a public awareness and education effort to encourage people to be tested -- quickly and for free.

Indianapolis' leading AIDS services center is teaming up with area Walgreens stores over the next few days to offer people as many options as possible.

Tom Bartenbach, executive director of the Damien Center, said it's important for people to find out if they are infected so treatment can begin as soon as possible.

Once considered a short-term death sentence, AIDS most often now can be managed with sophisticated and evolving drugs. Patients generally can expect to live normal lifespans, Bartenbach said.

But the virus still is being transmitted, and significant numbers of people don't know they carry the HIV virus -- and therefore, might unwittingly transmit it to others, he said.

An estimated 10,000 Hoosiers are HIV-positive, but about 18 percent of them don't know it, he said. Among African-American men 20 to 24 years old, a staggering 75 percent of those infected are not aware they carry the virus, Bartenbach said.

Damien Center workers began offering the free testing at six Walgreens pharmacy locations on Thursday. Testing will continue at those locations, and at the Damien Center itself, Friday and Saturday. The free testing program is going on nationwide, too.

The tests are administered privately and results are ready in about a minute, Bartenbach said. The quick test is highly reliable, but any positive result also will be confirmed with a second test that takes several days.

In addition, counseling and advice on treatment will be offered.

Most insurance companies cover HIV and AIDS treatment, and the Damien Center can guide anyone without insurance toward assistance programs, Bartenbach said.

For more information, go to the Damien Center's website -- www.damien.org -- or follow it on Twitter @DamienCenter.

WHERE TO GO

Here are the times and locations of the free HIV/AIDS tests:

--9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Damien Center, 26 N. Arsenal Ave.

--3-7 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at these locations: 3003 Kessler Blvd, 3205 E. Washington St., 7506 N. Shadeland Ave., 16th and Meridian streets, 86th Street and Ditch Road and 342 Massachusetts Ave.

In addition, testing is offered regularly at the Damien Center and partner organizations. Times, days and locations are listed on the website.

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