"One of the major concerns we have about the AIDS epidemic is that increasingly it is affecting communities that tend to be left out of the health care and public health system, ... We know that in order to be successful we have to find a new way to reach these communities.”
- Dr. David Satcher, Former Surgeon General

The only way to really be engaged is to know our HIV status and not be afraid to go and get tested as well as return for the results. We cannot expect to improve our health if we are afraid of knowing how healthy we are or are not. Taking an HIV test has become simple and easy, and sometimes with no blood involved.

If you don't know your HIV status, you don't know enough about HIV.

Our hope is that Black communities will use February 7 as their annual day to get tested, and for those who are at most risk, to use it as a bi-annual day and also get tested on June 27, which is National HIV Testing Day in the United States. Getting tested consistently helps to keep your health in check and allows you to do something early.

Many Blacks are getting tested late and going from being HIV+ to having an AIDS diagnosis, which means they have had HIV for a long time and did not know it. A lot of us find out in the emergency room when our health has deteriorated and almost come to a halt - this is not what the ancestors or those who came before us expected from us. It's time for us to get tested regularly.

For many areas of the United States, gone are the days of putting a tight rubber band on your arm and getting a long needle to draw blood. Due to advances in technology, it is now as simple as a swab in the mouth and a 20-minute wait before you know your HIV status.

Some would argue why they would want to know their status, and would rather not know. Here are the facts: According to the CDC, 25% of HIV+ individuals who are unaware of their status cause more than 67.5% of all new infections; and 75% of HIV+ individuals remaining who are aware of their status cause less than 1/3 (32.5%) of new infections.  So, do you want to know your status now?

Getting tested is a step in the right direction. Question is: are you headed in the right direction? Get tested today, go to www.hivtest.org and find a place near you.