JACKSONVILLE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is opening its twelfth Wellness Center in the U.S.- which offers free sexually-transmitted disease (STD) screenings, including HIV testing. The newest location is located at St. Vincent’s Medical Center, 2 Shircliff Way, De Paul Building, Suite 900, Jacksonville, Florida 32204 and is open on Wednesday, 4:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome. More information can be found at www.freeSTDcheck.org or by calling 904-381-9651.
The AHF Wellness Center is designed to make testing for STD’s accessible, convenient and affordable, as well as to encourage regular sexual health screenings as part of routine health care for all sexually active people. Services offered include: free Chlamydia screening and treatment; free Gonorrhea screening and treatment; free Syphilis screening and treatment and free HIV testing.
“We are pleased to be opening this latest Wellness Center in the Jacksonville area - offering free and low-cost services to the community,” said Mike McKany, Associate Director, Wellness Center Programs, AIDS Healthcare Foundation. “Our hope is that by offering these services in a friendly, nonthreatening venue that is also accessible and affordable, more people in the Duval County area will consider health screenings a regular part of their health maintenance – like going to the gym and getting a yearly check-up at the dentist. There is effective treatment for most STD’s, so it truly is better to know your status – for your health and for the health of your partner or partners.”
The most recent Duval County 2010 STD statistics show 5,744 Chlamydia cases and 1,895 Gonorrhea cases were reported and diagnosed. Notably, there is often a significant correlation of HIV infection reported alongside other STD’s. “One out of every 33 persons with a reportable STD in Florida is co-infected with HIV,” commented Albert Ruiz, Director of Wellness Center Programs, AIDS Healthcare Foundation.
In addition to the new Jacksonville location, AHF operates four Wellness Centers in Broward and Miami Dade. The organization also operates Wellness Centers in Los Angeles County; Oakland, California; and Washington, D.C. More information and location information can be found at www.freeSTDcheck.org.
About AHF
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is the largest nonprofit HIV/AIDS healthcare provider in the USA. AHF currently provides medical care and/or services to more than 183,000 individuals in 27 countries worldwide in the U.S., Africa, Latin America/Caribbean Eastern Europe and Asia. Additional information is available at www.aidshealth.org