Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015 | 12:23 p.m.
To mark National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on Saturday, the Southern Nevada Health District and its partners will offer free HIV testing at two locations.
The Gay and Lesbian Center of Southern Nevada, 401 S. Maryland Parkway, is offering free screening for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
First CME Williamson Temple Church, 6010 Smoke Ranch Road, is providing free screening for HIV and syphilis from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
No appointments are needed at either location. Test results take about 10 days and will be available by calling the district’s sexual health clinic at 702-759-0702. All testing is confidential.
Black people accounted for about 44 percent of new HIV infections in 2010, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC estimates that one in 16 black men will be diagnosed with HIV at some point in his life, as will one in 32 black women.
Although the infection rate among black women has been decreasing, it remains higher than rates for white and Hispanic women.
Young black men who are gay or bisexual face the highest risk for infection, according to the CDC.
The health district encourages everyone, regardless of race or gender, to learn their HIV status. There are more than 6,000 people living with HIV or AIDS in Southern Nevada.
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