Published on: Monday, February 06, 2012

By Clara H. Vaughn

About 1.1 million people in the United States are living with HIV/AIDS, and than 500,000 are black, according to the National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day website.

To raise awareness and encourage Marylanders to seek treatment, the Prince George’s County Health Department is offering free HIV/AIDS and sexually-transmitted infections testing in six locations Tuesday and Wednesday, as a part of NBHAAD.

Screenings will be provided in collaboration with Prince George’s Community College, the University of Maryland, Bowie State University, Heart to Hand, Inc. and SISTAS United.

“It’s not just D.C., Maryland and Virginia — the area as a whole — has a higher number of positive HIV cases in women of color,” said Wessita McKinley, program outreach assistant at Heart to Hand, Inc., a Prince George’s County nonprofit organization that advocates HIV/AIDS awareness and helps provide resources to those affected by the disease.

While blacks represent about 14 percent of the U.S. population, they account for more than 40 percent of the nation’s new HIV infections, according to a press release from the Prince George’s County Health Department.

One in 16 black men and one in 32 black women will be diagnosed with HIV in their lifetimes, said the NBHAAD website.

The number of people moving to and from the county, its proximity with Washington and a lack of funding for HIV/AIDS education and preventative measures like condom distribution contribute to the number of cases of HIV/AIDS in Prince George’s County, McKinley said.

Organizations like Heart to Hand, Inc. and events like NBHAAD work to combat the disease through grassroots efforts and fundraising.

NBHAAD was created 12 years ago as a part of Black History Month to encourage blacks to increase their awareness of HIV/AIDS and get tested for the disease.

“Our county’s Health Department is working hard to provide education, opportunities and reminders for citizens to get tested, easily, quickly and confidentially,” said County Executive Rushern L. Baker III in a press release. 

Testing is available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Cheverly Health Center, 3003 Hospital Drive in Cheverly; D. Leonard Dyer RegionalHealth Center, 9314 Piscataway Road in Clinton; Health and Wellness Center, Bladensburg Hall in Largo and the Nyumburu Cultural Center in College Park.

Testing is also available from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at Annie’s Art Gallery in Camp Springs. This event includes light refreshments, giveaways and an open mic night in addition to free HIV/AIDS and STI testing.

On Wednesday, testing is available from 10 a.m.to 2 p.m. at the Henry Wise Wellness Center, located at14000 Jericho Park Road in Bowie.

To learn more about HIV/AIDS testing and counseling in Prince George’s County, visit the Health Department’s website.