To help reduce the alarming rate of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among young people, Planned Parenthood Southeastern Pennsylvania will give away vouchers for free or low-cost HIV, chlamydia and gonorrhea testing during Hopeless Records' Take Action Tour concert at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia on Saturday, April 23rd, 5:30-8:30 p.m.
The Planned Parenthood mobile awareness event is part of STI awareness and prevention activities being held across the country during the annual GYT — Get Yourself Tested — campaign. Now in its third year, the award-winning GYT campaign is a partnership between Planned Parenthood, MTV, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
During the Take Action Tour concert — headlined by indie bands Silverstein, Bayside, Polar Bear Club, The Swellers and Texas in July — a Planned Parenthood van with representatives from Planned Parenthood Southeastern Pennsylvania and ActionAIDS will distribute condoms, T-shirts, sexual health information, and a limited number of vouchers that can be redeemed for free or low-cost STI and HIV tests.
As many as one in two sexually active young people will contract an STI by age 25 — and most won't know it. The GYT campaign is focusing this year on getting sexually active Americans under age 25 to embrace STD testing as part of a healthy, productive life. According to the CDC, this age group represents half of the estimated 19 million sexually transmitted infections that occur in the United States each year. When left untreated, STIs can increase the risk of HIV infection, infertility and cancer.
"We're reaching out to young people to let them know that STI testing is a simple, quick process that should be a routine part of their health care," said Dayle Steinberg, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Southeastern Pennsylvania. "We want them to know that Planned Parenthood is here to provide them with high-quality, affordable care."
The mobile awareness event is made possible in part by the donation of rapid HIV test kits from the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF). "It is a privilege for AIDS Healthcare Foundation to team with Planned Parenthood and respected local partners on this GYT campaign effort," said Whitney Engeran-Cordova, senior director of AHF's Public Health Division. "We believe this awareness effort along with access to free and low-cost testing will raise critical awareness of HIV testing."
Data collected from 10 Planned Parenthood affiliates show that STI testing has increased sharply since the launch of GYT in 2008. From 2008 to 2010, the number of patients tested in those 10 affiliates' two dozen health centers rose by an average of 71-72 percent among women and 65 percent among men. Nationally, Planned Parenthood has achieved especially large increases in the populations most affected by STIs, including African Americans and people living at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty level.
Affordability and supply remain critical to the success of long-lasting HIV drug