One of the best decisions you can make in life is to prioritize your health. At Southern Nevada Health District, our mission has been to diagnose, treat, prevent, respond, and educate our surrounding communities through quality care and accessible assistance.

With the anniversary of our Collect2Protect program coming up, it’s important that we continue to bring awareness to HIV/STI testing and prevention in efforts to decrease the spread. For most of us, talking about these health matters can be down-right uncomfortable – let alone testing your own status. But it’s a vital step in helping maintain the health of not only ourselves, but those around us.

That’s why we believe that the sooner you learn your HIV status, the better. Created for the convenience of our patients, Collect2Protect is a testing service that allows you to test within the privacy of your home and receive results just the same. With over 10,000 individuals in Clark County living with HIV (about 500 of them being newly diagnosed), it’s imperative that we continue to get in front of this epidemic and assist our communities with alternative testing from the beginning.

Almost 40% of people living with HIV aren’t diagnosed until they’ve developed AIDS. Because of this, we advise annual testing for anyone who is sexually active – especially for those who engage in high-risk sexual behavior or have an HIV+ partner.  For women who are pregnant, immediate testing is advised in order to prevent early transmission of a HIV positive diagnosis to their baby.

Unfortunately, due to outdated social stigmas and false information, many are unaware of the treatments available to you if receiving a positive HIV diagnosis. But the most important thing to remember is that this is in fact treatable. By receiving the diagnosis in its early stages, you’ll increase your odds of gaining the maximum benefits of your treatment(s).

And luckily thanks to the evolution of medicine, there are a multitude of treatments to prevent HIV and cautionary steps we can take. Pre-exposure prophylaxis, otherwise known as PrEP, is a daily medicine that if taken correctly can greatly reduce the risk of HIV by more than 90% in a HIV negative individual. Not only can PrEP be effectively used with other medications, but most insurance plans will cover the cost or offer other national programs that can lend assistance – making a difficult time a little simpler.

If you or someone you know has put themselves at risk to HIV, please reach out to a health care service immediately or order your free at-home testing kit from our Collect2Protect program today.