In observance of World AIDS Day, the public is invited to participate in free healthcare screenings from 4-8 p.m. on Nov. 30 at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) 12th Street Health & Wellness Center, 4010 W. 12th St.
The center will provide free HIV testing. The testing will be available without needles, using a mouth swab. People also are invited to receive free health checks for blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose, as well as general physical examinations. Test results will be available at the event.
Representatives of ARCare, LINQ for Life, and student organizations will be on hand for the event. A private, nonprofit organization, ARCare provides affordable primary and dental care at 27 locations in Arkansas with a focus on patient, community, and employee health. Linq for Life, also a nonprofit organization, works to educate and increase awareness about HIV and AIDS.
“The students, faculty, and volunteers of the center are eager to improve even further on our World AIDS Day efforts last year, and again bring HIV testing to our patients, while raising public awareness of HIV and AIDS,” said Lanita White, PharmD, director of the UAMS 12th Street Health & Wellness Center. “This event gives us a chance to reach out to this underserved community. According to the Arkansas Department of Health, more than several thousand Arkansans are living with HIV/AIDS, but only half of those actually are receiving care for it.”
For more information, visit https://uamshealth.com/news/tag/health-on-12th/ or call the UAMS 12th Street Health & Wellness Center at (501) 614-2492.
The 12th Street Health & Wellness Center is a free clinic run by students under supervision of faculty and other licensed volunteers. It provides students from the UAMS Colleges of Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Public Health and the Graduate School an avenue to learn about, from, and with each other in an interprofessional center. The center focuses on education, prevention, and management of chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes. It also provides information about healthy living and preventive care, and provides consultations and screenings for residents of the Little Rock Promise Neighborhood and surrounding areas.