CHARLESTON, W.Va. — While more people are living with HIV than ever before, medications and treatments to effectively fight the infection are also more accessible than ever.
The Charleston Area Medical Center (CAMC) Ryan White Program held an event Friday at three Walgreens Pharmacy locations around Kanawha County to promote awareness and provide rapid fingerstick HIV testing.
CAMC organized the event in conjunction with National HIV Testing Day, a day dedicated to informing people about HIV and encouraging them to get tested.
Christine Teague, CAMC Ryan White Program Director, told MetroNews that National HIV Testing Day was first established in 1995, marking its 30th year this year.
Teague emphasized the importance of this campaign in tackling the issue.
“It’s an effort to increase awareness about HIV, get people tested, and link them to either prevention or care resources,” Teague said.
Teague noted there has been an increase in HIV infections in West Virginia since 2018.
She explained that there was an initial outbreak in Cabell County, followed by another in Kanawha County in 2019.
However, Teague added that infection rates have declined somewhat due to ongoing efforts by the program to reach people, get them tested, and provide treatment for those who test positive.
She also pointed out that medication is now available to prevent HIV. If you test negative but are at risk, it’s important to take these medications to reduce the risk of contracting the virus.
Teague said that for those who test positive, there are now effective treatments that allow people to live long, healthy lives. 
“We know that if people are either on PrEP or on treatment and they’re undetectable, then no new infections will develop as a result. So it’s really important that everyone get tested at least once,” she said. “The recommendation is that everyone over the age of 13 should be screened at least once in their lifetime and repeatedly thereafter if they have risk factors.”
Teague identified the two most common HIV risk factors in the U.S. as unprotected sex and sharing used needles.
No appointment was required for Friday’s testing, which took place at two Walgreens locations on Charleston’s West Side and East End, as well as the Walgreens at Elk Plaza in Elkview. CAMC had Mobile Medical Units set up outside the stores in Elkview and on the East End.
Counselors were on hand to answer questions about HIV and STDs and provide the latest prevention and treatment options, including referrals for PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), which are FDA-approved medications highly effective in preventing HIV.
In addition to HIV testing, people could also receive testing for Hepatitis C and syphilis.
Teague acknowledged that more work is needed on both HIV and STD prevention and care, emphasizing the importance of other hospitals and health organizations throughout the state conducting screenings to address these issues.
She explained that by holding pop-up screening events like the one on Friday and offering point-of-care testing via mobile units, the program is meeting people where they are in the community, which has proven effective in addressing the issue.
“Going into the community is really helpful because it allows people to avoid the time-consuming and sometimes socially anxiety-provoking experience of visiting a hospital or clinic. It’s better to meet them where they are,” Teague said.
This marks the second year CAMC has partnered with Walgreens to conduct these screenings at their locations.
Teague noted that CAMC values the partnership because community drug stores and pharmacists are often among the most accessible healthcare providers for people.
“People go to the pharmacy, so it makes a lot of sense to offer HIV screening and PrEP at pharmacies,” Teague said. “The hope is that, in the future, we’ll see more of that, where pharmacies can offer more of these services.”
CAMC’s Ryan White Program covers 19 counties in southern West Virginia, and over 600 people are currently enrolled in the program.
The Ryan White Program is a national initiative established in 1995 following the death of 11-year-old Ryan White, a hemophiliac who contracted HIV through a blood transfusion in the mid-1980s.
CAMC received its first Ryan White grant in 2002 after the federal government enacted the Ryan White CARE Act in his honor.