St. Lucie County, FL – The Florida Department of Health in St. Lucie joins the nation, in observing National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. We encourage all Black/African Americans to Get Educated, Get Tested, Get Treated and Get Talking. Officials from the Florida Department of Health Tallahassee headquarters will provide an update, on St. Lucie’s progress 10 Years Later since the release of the Silence Is Death Report in 2006. Information will be shared during a Community Engagement meeting, Tuesday, February 7, 2017 at Indian River State College, Fort Pierce campus, Kight Center Building V, Room 110 – from 5:30 to 8:30.

Compared with other races and ethnicities, Black/African Americans account for a higher proportion of newly diagnosed HIV cases, those living with HIV, and those ever diagnosed with AIDS. “Our collective impact approach has been extremely effective in developing a comprehensive approach to improve prevention, testing and treatment programs,” said Clint Sperber, County Health Officer for the Department of Health in St. Lucie County.

As of December 31, 2016, St. Lucie County had 67% of all living HIV/AIDS cases reported in Area 15 (Martin, Indian River, St. Lucie, and Okeechobee counties). “Although St. Lucie County has made great strides in reducing our rates of HIV infection, this is no time to let our guard down; we need to continue to address stigma and dispel myths," saidDawn Jones, Area 15 HIV/AIDS Director.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one out of eight Americans in the US who have HIV do not know their status, and HIV continues to threaten the health of Americans nationwide.

Free Testing Locations:

Virginia College
2810 S. Federal Hwy | Fort Pierce, FL 34982
Wednesday • Feb 22nd, 2017
Free health education and testing (private office)
10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The Spectrum Project
McDonalds
1612 Delaware Ave | Fort Pierce, FL 34950
Every Monday in the month of February providing free Ora Sure testing
12 p.m. to 4 p.m.