Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2007. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
The New York Times - August 19, 2007
Cynthia Werthamer
And Westchester was fourth in the number of reported cases of H.I.V. infection, with 859, according to the county's Health Department.
In an attempt to lower these figures, and encourage people at risk to get tested, the department began an eye-catching campaign this month in places where it is most likely to be seen.
In addition to print advertisements, some 2,000 posters have been placed on public buses and 40,000 postcards have been distributed to community organizations, libraries, faith-based groups and shops like bodegas and hair salons. The campaign's tag line is "Everyone Has a Reason to Get an H.I.V. Test."
The campaign focuses on Yonkers, White Plains, Mount Vernon, Port Chester and New Rochelle, and aims especially to reach minorities, who constitute three-quarters of current AIDS cases in the county, and women, who make up about 40 percent.
"By going out into the communities, reaching people who might not otherwise have been reached, and using images of people like you and me, people might think, 'Maybe I should get tested,' " said Dr. Joshua Lipsman, the county health commissioner.
Dr. Lipsman said he hoped that 3,000 people would get a free rapid H.I.V. test as a result of the campaign. The rapid test, done with an oral swab, yields results in about 20 minutes.
The Westchester Health Department estimates that 1,000 county residents are unaware that they are H.I.V. positive.
"Approximately one in four people with H.I.V. doesn't know it," Dr. Lipsman said. "If we can whittle down that 25 percent - even to 24 or 23 percent - that's quite an accomplishment in a county of Westchester's size."
The campaign, which is costing $60,000, is expected to last about five months. The tests are being offered at Westchester Medical Center, the Mount Vernon Neighborhood Health Center and health clinics and community centers throughout the county. (For more information, call the Health Department at 995-9595 or go to westchestergov.com/health.)
Dr. Lipsman said that people do not get tested because they do not believe they are at risk. "We at the Health Department believe that knowledge is power," he said.
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