Press Releases

Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson to Partner with Walgreens to Provide Free Health Screenings and HIV Testing on World AIDS Day

MIAMI – In observance of World AIDS Day, Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson (FL-24) will partner with Walgreens and several health clinics throughout Miami-Dade and Broward counties to offer free health screenings and HIV/AIDS testing on Thursday, December 1, 2016, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Giveaways for individuals who are tested will be provided by Walgreens.

“I have long said that the best way to end the spread of HIV/AIDS is to get tested and receive treatment if you are HIV positive,” said Congresswoman Wilson. “Miami-Dade and Broward counties have the highest number of new HIV cases in the country, and if we can end the spread of HIV in South Florida it will make a huge difference. I am appealing to everyone to get tested and know your status.”

Congresswoman Wilson sponsored several bills to boost HIV/AIDS education and awareness throughout her career in public service. This year marks the 14^th anniversary of a bill she sponsored in the Florida legislature to mandate HIV testing for prisoners upon their release from Florida prisons. The purpose of the bill was to confirm prisoners’ HIV status as they re-enter society and connect them to care if they were HIV positive.

Free health screenings and confidential HIV/AIDS testing will be provided at the following locations:

Held for the first time in 1988, World AIDS Day is observed on December 1 each year. World AIDS Day was the first global health day, and is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV, and to commemorate people who have died.

According to the CDC, 1 in 8 people living with HIV in the United States is unaware that they have the disease. Miami-Dade and Broward counties were numbers 1 and 2 in the U.S. in new HIV infections in 2014 per 100,000 residents, according to state and federal data.