JUNE 25, 2019

Palm Beach County Health Department

Recognizes HIV Testing Day

Contact:
Communications Office
chd50feedback@flhealth.gov
561-671-4014

West Palm Beach, Fla. — June 27, 2019, commemorates National HIV Testing Day (NHTD).
First observed in 1995, NHTD is meant to encourage people to be aware of their HIV status so
that they can take control of their health. This year’s theme, “Doing It My Way,” highlights how
and why people make testing a part of their lives. The Palm Beach County Health Department
joins community partners across the country to emphasize the importance of getting tested,
knowing your status, and getting linked to care and treatment.

“HIV Testing Day provides a great opportunity in Palm Beach County to reiterate the importance
of knowing your HIV status,” says County Health Director Dr. Alina Alonso. “We would like to
encourage everyone who is sexually active to get tested, not just for yourself, but for your loved
ones as well.”

In 2017, 116,944 Floridians were confirmed to be living with HIV. An estimated 18,000 more were
living with HIV but unaware of it. “To see these numbers come down in our state, we need to
recognize the role of stigma as a barrier to getting tested,” said department HIV/AIDS Section
Administrator Laura Reeves. “Normalizing HIV testing and making sure there’s a testing option
that works for everyone is one way to reduce stigma. This is important, because knowing your
HIV status gives you the power to make informed decisions about your health. Our goal is to work
with our partners to make sure every Floridian has that power.”

Get Tested.

Did you know that there’s more than one type of HIV test? Most use either a blood sample or fluid
swabbed from the inside of your cheek. There are different settings in which you can take an HIV
test, too, including in the comfort and privacy of your own home. Visit KnowYourHIVStatus.com
to learn more about testing options in your area or to order a free at-home HIV testing kit mailed
directly to the address of your choice (while supplies last).

Knowing your HIV status is just the beginning.

It’s crucial that people living with HIV begin treatment as soon as possible. Immediate treatment
with antiretroviral therapy (ART) typically leads to long, healthy lives for people living with HIV. It’s
also a method of HIV prevention. ART reduces the amount of HIV in the body, which makes it
harder to transmit to others. People living with HIV who reach and maintain what’s called “viral
suppression” (fewer than 200 copies of HIV per milliliter of blood) have effectively no risk of
sexually transmitting HIV to an HIV-negative partner.
There are also prevention tools for people who haven’t been diagnosed with HIV. While HIV
prevention is truly a group effort, it can look very different from person to person. A health care
provider can do a risk/needs assessment to determine appropriate next steps, which might
include taking pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and using condoms to reduce the risk of acquiring
HIV. Prevention may also take the form of regular retesting.

Observe NHTD with us!

Please find below a full list of events:

Sponsoring Agency: FoundCare Inc.

Date/Time: Wednesday: June 26, 2019/ 10:00am- 2:00pm
Location: Quiet Waters Senior Center (306 SW 10TH Street, Belle Glade, FL 33430
Event: Rapid HIV and Hepatitis C Testing
Contact: Quasia Cowan, (561) 472-2466 ext. 140

Sponsoring Agency: FoundCare Inc.

Date/Time: Wednesday: June 26, 2019/ 12:00pm-2:00pm
Location: Metropolitan Community Church of The Palm Beaches (4857 Northlake Blvd,
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida 33418)
Event: Rapid HIV and Hepatitis C Testing
Contact: Quasia Cowan, (561) 472-2466 ext. 140

Sponsoring Agency: Haiti Cholera Research Funding Foundation Inc.

Date/Time Tuesday: June 26, 2019/ 1:00pm-3:00pm
Location: Institution Mixte (Delmas #70 Haiti)
Event: PrEP Education Workshops, Sexual Education, Condom Distribution
Contact: Pierrette J Cazeau, (561) 577-2698\

Sponsoring Agency: Haiti Cholera Research Funding Foundation Inc.

Date/Time Tuesday: June 27, 2019/ 1:00pm-3:00pm
Location: Institution Mixte (Delmas #70 Haiti)
Event: PrEP Education Workshops, Sexual Education, Condom Distribution
Contact: Pierrette J Cazeau, (561) 577-2698

Sponsoring Agency: FoundCare Inc.

Date/Time: Thursday: June 27, 2019/ 8:00am-4:30pm
Location: FoundCare’s Boynton Beach Office (1901 S. Congress Ave., Suite 100,
Boynton Beach, Florida 33426)
Event: Rapid HIV and Hepatitis C Testing
Contact: Quasia Cowan, (561) 472-2466 ext. 140
Sponsoring Agency: FoundCare Inc.
Date/Time: Thursday, June 27, 2019/ 8:00am-4:30pm)
Location: FoundCare’s Belle Glade Office (1500 NW Ave. L, Suite A, Belle Glade, Florida
33430)
Event: Rapid HIV and Hepatitis C Testing
Contact: Quasia Cowan, (561) 472-2466 ext. 140

Sponsoring Agency: FoundCare Inc.

Date/Time: Thursday, June 27, 2019/ 8:00am-4:30pm)
Location: FoundCare’s West Palm Beach Office (2330 S. Congress Ave., Palm Springs,
Florida 33406)
Event: Rapid HIV and Hepatitis C Testing
Contact: Quasia Cowan, (561) 472-2466 ext. 140

Sponsoring Agency: FoundCare Inc.

Date/Time: Thursday: June 27, 2019/ 9:00am-1:00pm
Location: Light House Café (400 SW Ave. B Place, Belle Glade, Florida 33430)
Event: Rapid HIV and Hepatitis C Testing
Contact: Quasia Cowan, (561) 472-2466 ext. 140

Sponsoring Agency: FoundCare Inc.

Date/Time: Thursday: June 27, 2019/ 9:00am-11:00am
Location: True Fast Outreach Ministries (638 6th St., West Palm Beach, Florida 33401)
Event: Rapid HIV and Hepatitis C Testing
Contact: Quasia Cowan, (561) 472-2466 ext. 140

Sponsoring Agency: FoundCare Inc.

Date/Time: Thursday: June 27, 2019/ 9:00am-11:00am
Location: New Bethel Missionary Baptist (911 9th St., West Palm Beach, Florida 33401)
Event: Rapid HIV and Hepatitis C Testing
Contact: Quasia Cowan, (561) 472-2466 ext. 140

Sponsoring Agency: FoundCare Inc.

Date/Time: Thursday: June 27, 2019/ 10:00am-7:00pm
Location: Walgreens (101 N Main St., Belle Glade, FL 33430)
Event: Rapid HIV and Hepatitis C Testing
Contact: Quasia Cowan, (561) 472-2466 ext. 140

Sponsoring Agency: FoundCare Inc.

Date/Time: Thursday: June 27, 2019/ 10:00am-7:00pm
Location: Walgreens (105 E Ocean Ave., Lantana, Florida 33462)
Event: Rapid HIV and Hepatitis C Testing
Contact: Quasia Cowan, (561) 472-2466 ext. 140
Sponsoring Agency: Florida Department of Health Palm Beach County
Date/Time: 2/7/19, 8:00am-2:30pm
Location: 225 S Congress Ave, Delray Beach, FL 33445
Event: Free Rapid HIV Testing, Incentives, HIV/Prevention Education
Contact: Dominique Nealy, (561) 530-6885

Sponsoring Agency: Florida Department of Health- Palm Beach County

Date/Time: Thursday, June 27, 2019/ 9:00am-3:00pm)
Location: 1150 45th St, West Palm Beach, FL 33407/ 9:00am-3:00pm
Event: Free HIV Rapid Testing, Incentives, HIV Prevention Education, PrEP Services
Contact: Dominique Nealy, (561) 530-6885

Sponsoring Agency: Florida Department of Health- Palm Beach County

Date/Time: Thursday, June 27, 2019/ 9:00am-3:00pm)
Location: 1250 Southwind’s Dr, Lantana, FL 33462
Event: Free HIV Rapid Testing, Incentives, HIV Prevention Education, PrEP Services
Contact: Dominique Nealy, (561) 530-6885

Sponsoring Agency: Florida Department of Health- Palm Beach County

Date/Time: Thursday, June 27, 2019/ 9:00am-3:00pm)
Location: 225 S Congress Ave, Delray Beach, FL 33445
Event: Free HIV Rapid Testing, Incentives, HIV Prevention Education, PrEP Services
Contact: Dominique Nealy, (561) 530-6885

Sponsoring Agency: Florida Department of Health- Palm Beach County, Urban League
of Palm Beach County, and Palm Beach County Substance Awareness Coalition
Date/Time: Thursday, June 27, 2019/ 10:00am-3:00pm
Location: 2107 N. Tamarind Ave, West Palm Beach, Florida 33407
Event: Free HIV Rapid Testing, Incentives, HIV Prevention Education
Contact: Dominique Nealy, (561) 530-6885

Sponsoring Agency: Midway Specialty Care Center

Date/Time: Thursday, June 27, 2019/ 10:00am-6:00pm
Location: Walgreens (1515 N. Flagler Drive Suite 20, West Palm Beach, Florida 33401
Event: Free HIV Rapid Testing, HCV Testing, Expanded STI (gonorrhea, chlamydia,
syphilis testing) available at the office upstairs).
Contact: Chris Dowden, (561) 249-2279
Sponsoring Agency: Planned Parenthood Wellington Health Center
Date/Time: Thursday, June 27, 2019/ 1:00pm-7:00pm
Location: 10111 Forest Hill Blvd Suite 340, Wellington, Florida 33414
Event: Free HIV Testing
Contact: Saida Pichardo, (786) 594-4750
Sponsoring Agency: Planned Parenthood Wellington Health Center
Date/Time: Thursday, June 27, 2019/ 1:00pm-7:00pm
Location: 10111 Forest Hill Blvd Suite 340, Wellington, Florida 33414
Event: Free HIV Testing
Contact: Saida Pichardo, (561) 296-4919

Sponsoring Agency: FamilesFirst

Date/Time: Thursday, June 27, 2019/ 12:00pm-5:00pm
Location: Congress Park Apartments (3000 Congress Park Drive, Lake Worth, Florida 33461
Event: Free HIV and Pregnancy Testing, Program Enrollments, and Raffle Prizes.
Contact: Keisha Jackson, (561) 319-4394

Sponsoring Agency: Caridad Center

Date/Time: Thursday, June 27, 2019/ 9:00am-12:00pm
Location: Caridad Center (8645 W. Boynton Beach, Florida 33472)
Event: Free HIV Testing, Music, Raffle Prizes, Education, Counseling, Incentives
Contact: Aydeivis Jean Pierre, (561) 737-6336 ext. 117

Sponsoring Agency: Crossing Bridges of the Palm Beaches

Date/Time: Thursday, June 27, 2019/ 10:00am-5:00pm
Location: 1100 North Main Street Suite C, Belle Glade, FL 33430
Event: Free HIV Testing
Contact: Coretha Smith/Virgilee McAllister, (561) 889-4815, (561) 985-3476

Sponsoring Agency: Health Council of Southeast Florida

Date/Time: Thursday, June 27, 2019/ 11:00am-1:00pm
Location: 802 S. Dixie Highway, Lake Worth, FL 33460
Event: HIV Prevention Education and Testing
Contact: Sandra Anderson, Office: (561) 844-4248 ext. 2700, Cell: (561) 323-0381

Sponsoring Agency: FoundCare Inc.

Date/Time: Friday: June 28, 2019/ 9:00am-12:00pm
Location: Farmworkers Coordinating Council (1123 Crestwood Blvd, Lake Worth, FL
33460
Event: Rapid HIV and Hepatitis C Testing
Contact: Quasia Cowan, (561) 472-2466 ext. 140

Sponsoring Agency: FoundCare Inc.

Date/Time: Friday: June 28, 2019/ 5:00pm-7:00pm
Location: El Bodegon (6128 S. Congress Ave, Lantana, FL 33462
Event: Rapid HIV and Hepatitis C Testing
Contact: Quasia Cowan, (561) 472-2466 ext. 140
 Sponsoring Agency: FoundCare Inc.
Date/Time: Saturday: June 29, 2019/ 9:00am-12:00pm
Location: El Sol (106 Military Trail. Jupiter, FL 33458)
Event: Rapid HIV and Hepatitis C Testing
Contact: Quasia Cowan, (561) 472-2466 ext. 140

Sponsoring Agency: Health Council of Southeast Florida

Date/Time: Saturday, June 29, 2019/ 9:00am-4:00pm
Location: Arms of Home, A Soup Kitchen (1512 Winfield Street, Lake Worth, FL 33460)
Event: HIV Prevention Education and Testing
Contact: Sandra Anderson, Office: (561) 844-4248 ext. 2700, Cell: (561) 323-0381

Protect yourself. Get tested. Know your status. Learn what’s next.

For more information, please call 1-800-FLA-AIDS. Visit KnowYourHIVStatus.com.

About the Florida Department of Health

The department, nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board, works to protect,
promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and
community efforts.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @HealthyFla. For more information about the
Florida Department of Health please visit www.FloridaHealth.gov.