HIV Testing Day raises awareness

National HIV Testing Day took place Thursday.

To mark the occasion, the Ventura County Public Health Department expanded its hours at a free clinic in Ventura.

The clinic, next to the Ventura County Medical Center, on 3147 Loma Vista Road, will be open the second and fourth Wednesdays of every month.

About a million people in the U.S. are HIV positive, but about 20 percent don’t know it. Public Health Officer Dr. Robert Levin said everyone ages 13- 64 should get tested at least once. The Centers for Disease Control also recommended annual testing for people in at risk groups for HIV and AIDS.

There were 21 HIV-related death in Ventura County last year, most of the patients were no aware of they were HIV positive.

For more information about the clinic in Ventura and other clinic in Oxnard and Simi Valley, call 805-981-5221 or 805-652-5780 or visit:http://www.vchca.org/public-health/hiv-aids-center.