'MO - June 2008 - (Page 27)

your health matters NATIONAL HIV TESTING DAY Seattle in June! Summer starts to ﬂirt with the thermometer, sun worshipers ﬂock to the beaches or parks, and the pride parade makes us dust off all those rainbow ﬂags many of us kept in our closets for the last year. June is also the month for National HIV Testing Day. June 27th is a day created to remind everyone that getting tested, knowing your status, and being responsible is the only way to end the pandemic of HIV/AIDS. It’s sort of sobering to think that more than 10,000 people in Washington state are living with HIV. What’s even more sobering is to think that’s just the ones we know about. That’s the latest statistic released from the Washington Department of Health. The real number lies with all the people who are carrying HIV and don’t know it. They don’t know because they haven’t been tested. “With new testing technologies and treatment options, testing for HIV is easier and more critical than ever before,” says Fred Swanson, executive director of Gay City Health Project in Seattle. His organization offers free anonymous testing every day, not just on National HIV Testing Day. Gay City uses a rapid test technique, and results are ready before you leave. In addition, they are able to draw a tube of blood for RNA testing, a new technology that can ﬁnd HIV sooner after infection than standard testing. Both are done in their Capitol Hill ofﬁces, and both are done anonymously. “It’s important that people know what they’re living with, both for their own health and for that of the other people in their lives. You don’t need to wait until National HIV Testing Day to take responsibility for your health,” says Swanson. In addition to the testing that they do on the Hill, Gay City also provides testing in other locations throughout King County, including the ofﬁces of POCAAN, Sea Mar Community Health, and at local churches. “Our testing collaborations serve several purposes at once,” says Swanson. “(Collaborations) extend our reach beyond Capitol Hill. … it deepens our partnerships with other communities impacted by HIV, and acknowledges that we are all in this together.” Gay City offers two ways for you to get tested. You can simply walk into their clinic during clinic hours, or you can call 206-8606969 and make an appointment. You can also ﬁnd out more about their hours of service at www.gaycity.org. For more information on National HIV Testing Day, please log onto the main website www.hivtest.org. moseattle.com 27 issue #16 | june 2008 http://www.seattlemeds.com http://www.gaycity.org http://www.gaycity.org http://www.hivtest.org http://www.madabsfitness.com http://moseattle.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of 'MO - June 2008

'MO Seattle - June 2008 Contents Letter From The Editor Voices Instant Activist Pet Project: Do You Dream About Your Pet? ’mo-BIZ: Anne Levison, Co-owner of the Seattle Storm Legally Speaking: Real Estate Buying Basics The Things We Do: Getting “Out”doors this Summer Seattle Pride Events Calendar ’mo Magazine Interview with Sandra Bernhard Anatomy of a Myth Form & Function: Turn Up the Heat on Your Triceps Gay City: National HIV Testing Day San Francisco: If Gay Had a Headquarters Book Review: Chronicle of a Plague, Revisited by Andrew Holleran Augusten Burroughs Coming to Showtime Network Sex and the City Romances the Big Screen SceneOut: People@Places Capitol Hill Guide

'MO - June 2008

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