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Community Corner

National HIV Testing Day: Save Lives

Upward of 40 percent of those with HIV don't know it.

Medical treatments for HIV have advanced rapidly — but they can only help if people who have the disease get diagnosed and treated.

To help save lives, the National Association of People with AIDS is urging individuals to get tested today, National HIV Testing Day.

Nearby testing locations can be found here. They include:

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  • Oak Park Department of Public Health, located at , 123 W. Madison in Oak Park
  • South Austin STI Specialty Clinic, 4958 W. Madison St. in Chicago
  • Cook County Department of Public Health, 1701 S. First Ave. in Maywood
  • Loyola Outpatient Center, 2160 S. First Ave. in Maywood

Additionally, the nightclub and lounge in downtown Oak Park, 728 Lake St., hosts HIV prevention counseling, HIV testing and STD screenings on the second Friday of each month from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. 

Similar services are offered at the , 217 Harrison St. in Oak Park, on the third Friday of every month from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

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About 40 percent of people who have HIV do not get diagnosed until they develop AIDS, points out NHTD on its website in order to stress the importance of testing. This can be as long as 10 years after the onset of HIV.

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