As we approach National HIV Testing Day (NHTD) on June 27th, our latest FYI video features Kayla Quimbley, an Advocates for Youth Activist, National Youth HIV/AIDS Ambassador, and member of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS. In the video, Ms. Quimbley moderates a conversation with Harold Phillips, Director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy, and Dr. Jonathan Mermin, Director of CDC’s National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, about the importance of the annual observation.

Watch their conversation in the video above or on YouTube.

 

National HIV Testing Day Theme

 

“Take the Test & Take the Next Step,” this year’s NHTD theme, is a call to action to encourage HIV testing as the first step to good sexual health, regardless of the result. Due to the expansion of HIV self-testing, as Dr. Mermin noted, people can take at-home HIV tests and know their results in 20 minutes. “Getting an HIV test is an essential step in the pathway for better health,” Dr. Mermin emphasized. He also touted CDC’s National HIV, STI, and Hepatitis Locator, which helps find nearby places that offer free HIV testing by entering a ZIP code. Find the locator here.

Mr. Phillips noted that this year’s theme is one of empowerment, acknowledging that ongoing HIV stigma and discrimination affect HIV testing, which can, however, be dismantled person-by-person through increased HIV testing. He also noted that HIV testing is foundational to the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and a key pillar of the Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. (EHE) initiative. Additionally, he shared that the expansion of HIV testing to emergency departments, pharmacies, and community health centers, in tandem with the growth of HIV self-testing, is key to increasing the number of people who know their HIV status.

Additional Resources

 

Watch the conversation with Mr. Phillips and Dr. Mermin. For additional HIV testing resources, please visit:

  • CDC’s Get Tested web page for free, fast, and confidential sexual health testing near you.

  • takemehome.org for information on how to order HIV self-tests. This site is a collaboration between Emory University, Building Healthy Online Communities, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, NASTAD, OraSure, and Signal.

This blog post was originally published June 15, 2023, by HIV.gov. It is republished with permission.