National HIV Testing Day is an annual campaign produced by the National Association of People with AIDS to encourage at-risk individuals to receive voluntary HIV counseling and testing. The 2008 National Testing Day is June 27th.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 180,000 to 280,000 people nationwide are HIV-positive bur are unaware of their status. HIV counseling and testing enables people with HIV to take steps to protect their own health and that of their partners, and helps people who test negative get the information they need to stay uninfected. For more information, visit www.hivtest.org.

To observe National HIV Testing Day, the Brazos County Health Department will be offering FREE HIV tests from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm on Monday, June 30, 2008. We will also have our normal STD clinic from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm with a charge of $15. A photo ID is required for all tests. We encouraged everyone to take the test and take control of their health.