LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Tuesday, Oct. 15, is National Latinx AIDS Awareness Day, and the Southern Nevada Health District wants to ensure people know the available resources.
According to SNHD, this annual observance focuses on the disproportionate impact of HIV in Hispanic/Latinx communities while promoting effective ways to prevent, treat and stop the transmission of HIV among Hispanic/Latinx people.
Approximately 1.2 million people in the United States have HIV, and about 13% of them have it but don’t know it. Nearly 32,000 new cases were reported nationally in 2022.
In 2023, Clark County reported 500 new HIV cases, 200 of which were among Hispanics. Some 12,000 people in Clark County were living with HIV in 2023, and of those, 3,683 were Hispanic.
At some point in their lives, an estimated one in 36 Hispanic men will be diagnosed with HIV, as will one in 106 Hispanic women.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the rate of new HIV infections among Hispanic men is nearly three times that of white men, and the rate among Hispanic women is more than four times that of white women.
HIV testing is readily available in Southern Nevada:
- SNHD offers no-cost express testing from 7:30 a.m. – 4 p.m., Monday through Thursday at the Southern Nevada Health District Main Public Health Center and the Fremont Public Health Center.
- HIV testing is also available at no cost in the Arleen Cooper Community Health Center. Hours are 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Monday – Thursday and 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Appointments are preferred, but walk-ins are accepted.
- SNHD’s Collect2Protect program offers free at-home HIV tests, giving people a convenient and private option for testing. The kits can be requested HERE.
Same-day HIV testing and treatment services are also available at the Southern Nevada Community Health Center and the Fremont Public Health Center.
HIV services include testing, medical, behavioral health, nutrition, case management, pharmaceutical, and educational services, including PEP and PrEP navigation and treatment for those who test negative.
Services are offered for insured and uninsured patients. Sliding fee scale discounts are available to all patients who qualify.
For more information about National Latinx AIDS Awareness Day, CLICK HERE.
