World AIDS Day Marks 27th Anniversary

Deschutes County, Ore. – Today, Dec. 1, 2015 marks the 27th anniversary of World AIDS Day. Established by the World Health Organization in 1988,  today serves to focus global attention on the devastating impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Deschutes County Health Services provides both prevention and case management services for HIV. Services include early rapid HIV testing for persons at risk of becoming infected, and education and information about HIV and preventing transmission to others. In addition, the County offers Ryan White HIV case management for those infected with the virus, to connect them with treatment and care.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that every adult should consider being tested for HIV at least once, as many people are HIV positive and unaware of it.  Knowledge of HIV infection allows for early treatment , preventing illness with HIV and prolonging life expectancy, and significantly reduces the chance of passing the virus to others via sex or sharing injection drug use materials and syringes.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1.2 million people in the United States are living with HIV – and nearly one in eight of those are not aware that they are infected.

What You Should Know:

  • A new, rapid HIV test gives accurate results in just 20 minutes. The test is available in multiple locations in Deschutes County and Central Oregon.
  • While HIV was once a terminal illness, it is now is a treatable, long-term, chronic condition.
  • Learning of your HIV status and getting into treatment early-on in the infection is critical to living a relatively long and normal life with HIV. Early detection also helps avoid spreading the virus to sex or needle-using partners or from an HIV-positive mother to her baby.

For more information about HIV/AIDS testing and services offered by Deschutes County Health Services, please visit www.deschutes.org/health/page/hivaids-program  or call 541-322-7400.

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Beaver Walk & Beaver Believers Screening

Beaver Natural History Walk & Restoration Site Tour, 4-5 pm Followed by a screening of The Beaver Believers and Q &A Hosted by Maureen Thompson, Beaver Works Program Manager and Kolleen Miller, Education Director for The Upper

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8th Annual Locavore Gala & Fundraiser

We invite you to be a part of something extraordinary – an evening that transcends the ordinary and celebrates the heart of our community. Central Oregon Locavore proudly presents its 8th Annual Gala and Fundraiser, a special