AHF`s Magic Johnson 14 City Free HIV Testing Caravan a `Watershed Moment` in Evolution of Testing Process

LA to DC: AHF`s Successful Three Week, 4339 Mile Free HIV Testing Caravan
Visited Hard-hit Southern US Cities; Worked with Respected Local Community
Agencies and Provided 727 Free HIV Tests
WASHINGTON--(Business Wire)--
In an effort to raise local and national awareness about the importance-and
ease-of HIV testing and to challenge attitudes about moving toward a streamlined
model of HIV testing and counseling, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is proud
to report on the successful completion of its recent and ambitious three week,
14 city AHF Magic Johnson HIV Testing Caravan which arrived in Washington, DC on
Saturday, June 27th-National HIV Testing Day.

Upon arriving in Washington over the weekend, AHF`s HIV testing caravan hosted
two free HIV testing events in conjunction with respected local partners: one
testing event took place at the District`s popular Caribbean Carnival on
Saturday and Sunday; the other, featuring one of AHF`s popular Magic Johnson
Mobile Testing Units, took place at the Housing and Urban Development-owned
(HUD) Atlantic Terrace Apartment Complex in the Washington Highlands
neighborhood (SE, Ward 8). Local partners in the District of Columbia HIV
testing events included the Caribbean Carnival organizers, City-Gate,
Peaceoholics, and the Carl Vogel Center, an HIV/AIDS testing and treatment
referral center.

Throughout the three week, 4339 mile trip, AHF`s testing team performed a total
of 727 free HIV tests across the country and identified `preliminary` HIV
positive` individuals in Houston, New Orleans and Columbia, SC. Those
individuals found to be HIV positive were immediately linked with local partner
agencies for confirmatory testing of their HIV status as well as for linkage to
medical care and treatment.

"AHF`s Magic Johnson HIV Testing Caravan will be seen as a watershed moment in
the evolution of HIV testing in the U.S. and in challenging outdated attitudes
about more cumbersome, bureaucracy-driven HIV testing and counseling models
currently used in many communities nationwide," said Michael Weinstein,
President of AIDS Healthcare Foundation. "AHF utilizes a highly-effective,
streamlined model of HIV testing and counseling, and nearly all of the local
agencies we partnered with along the way in many of these hard-hit communities
were amazed at the success of our collaborative testing process. I want to thank
the team of AHF testing counselors who participated in this sometimes arduous
cross-country caravan, as well as those local community and HIV/AIDS agencies
with whom we partnered to make this testing caravan such a tremendous success."

"It was a privilege to take part in and shepherd the AHF/Magic Johnson Testing
Caravan on our cross country testing journey and to work with many of our local
partners, who we saw firsthand working tirelessly on the ground in their
communities every day along the way," said Azul Mares-del Grasso, Field Services
Manager for AHF`s Public Health Division and leader of the testing caravan.
"Working together, we surpassed expectations in many of these communities:
Phoenix, our partners at The Southwest Center for HIV/AIDS thought we might test
25 individuals-we tested 54; in Albuquerque, our partners at the New Mexico AIDS
Services predicted we would test 15 individuals-we tested 45; at a parking lot
of a Kroger Supermarket in Atlanta, we tested 71 individuals; and on this past
Saturday, National HIV Testing Day, we tested 81 individuals at a low-income
housing complex in the South East section of Washington in just four hours. The
streamlined testing and counseling model we employ works extremely efficiently,
and nearly all of the individuals we test have a very favorable reaction to the
entire updated testing experience."

In addition, the testing caravan garnered a significant amount of media
coverage, with more than 35 media and press outlets (and counting) covering the
testing events in cities along the way. Coverage included local television
stories in all but one city; major print articles in the Times Picayune in New
Orleans and the Atlanta Journal Constitution and numerous radio stories and
weekly newspaper articles. In addition, CNN Espanol interviewed the testing
counselors in Atlanta for `Salud,` a popular weekly health program set to air in
early July in the U.S. and Latin America.

The testing caravan was an ambitious effort to boost AIDS awareness and HIV
prevention and testing efforts in some of the hardest hit regions of the United
States. The caravan included one of AHF`s popular AHF Mobile HIV Testing Units,
which are named in honor ofand partnership with HIV positive basketball legend
Earvin Magic Johnson, Jr. and actor and AIDS advocate Blair Underwood. The tour
kicked-off in Los Angeles on June 8th and culminated with the caravan`s arrival
in DC on Saturday. AHF ispermanently relocating one of the mobile testing units
from Los Angeles to D.C., to provide free, easy-to-access rapid HIV testing in
various neighborhoods throughout the nation's capital, where it was recently
reported that the HIV prevalence rate has surged past 3%-higher than in Lagos,
Nigeria.

"While making initial plans to transport our brand new, state-of-the-art
AHF/Magic Johnson Mobile Testing Unit from Los Angeles to Washington, DC, we hit
upon the idea that this cross country road trip presented a unique opportunity
to raise awareness about HIV testing, prevention and treatment through specific
testing events and community outreach in cities and states along the way," said
AHF`s Weinstein.

As a result, AHF partnered with respected local AIDS and community groups in
Phoenix, Albuquerque, Houston, New Orleans, Jackson, Mississippi; Pensacola,
Florida; Montgomery, Alabama; Jacksonville, Atlanta, Columbia, South Carolina;
Charlotte, Norfolk and Washington, DC to host free HIV testing and media events
in each of those communities. At the end of the tour, the AHF/Magic Johnson
Mobile Testing Unit will remain and operate in Washington, where AHF will also
open a free AIDS treatment clinic-its first in that city-later this summer.

"The beauty of these free mobile HIV testing vans is that AIDS Healthcare
Foundation operates them right in the heart of the community-in parking lots of
popular retail stores, nearby hip nightclubs and gathering spots, at church
events-and they provide the testing, counseling and results all in one session,
so people get their test results right away on the same day," said Blair
Underwood, who attended the Los Angeles kick-off event. "It is important that
people learn how to avoid becoming infected with HIV; or if they are infected,
know their HIV status, and seek medical treatment, if needed. People really need
to know their HIV status today. These HIV testing vans provide that opportunity
for free in a friendly, no hassle way."

During the testing tour, AIDS Healthcare Foundation also presented grants to
each of the local partners AHF collaborated with along the way. And throughout
the course of the 4,339 mile, three week cross country HIV testing tour, HIV
testing counselors and AHF staffers also supplied a steady stream of updates,
videos and images via new media: YouTube, Facebook, MySpace and Twitter postings
from along the route, interviews with local partners, government officials and,
when appropriate and available, interviews with people who were tested on the
mobile unit.

* http://www.youtube.com/aidshealth
* http://www.facebook/people/Aidshealth-Care/
* http://www.twitter.com/freehivtest
* http://www.myspace.com/aidshealth
* http://www.freehivtest.net/testingusa

A fully outfitted 34 foot HIV/AIDS mobile medical treatment clinic that is
operated by AHF's Positive Healthcare in rural areas of north Florida and in the
Panhandle joined the HIV testing caravan starting in New Orleans. The van,
affectionately dubbed, 'Bertha,' traveled on with the AHF/Magic Johnson Testing
Unit through the remaining Southern and Eastern states and on to Washington.
This mobile clinic will serve as an additional backup HIV testing van along the
route. Bertha, however, returned to service as a mobile medical clinic in
Florida after the National HIV Testing event in Washington on June 27th.

HIV Statistics in the United States

"Last August, the Centers for Disease Control released new data showing an
alarming 40% increase in HIV infections in the US-56,000 new cases each year up
from a previous estimate of 40,000 new cases annually," said Whitney
Engeran-Cordova, Director of AIDS Healthcare Foundation`s Public Health
Division. "There is no doubt that the South is disproportionately affected by
HIV and without adequate resources. On our trip we want to meet our colleagues
in these cities, support agencies in providing testing and do what we can to
raise awareness about the genuine need for HIV testing and treatment throughout
the region. The number of new infections in the U.S. is absolutely unacceptable.
We have a responsibility to do what we must to help those with HIV know their
status and get linked into care. "

According to an HIV/AIDS Policy Fact Sheet produced by the Kaiser Family
Foundation ("The HIV/AIDS Epidemic in the United States", updated, February,
2009, with statistics through 2007)

* Ten states account for 71% of AIDS cases reported since the beginning of the
epidemic. Nine of these states also rank in the top 10 for newly reported cases.
Three of the states that the AHF/Magic Johnson Mobile Testing HIV testing Unit
will visit on its tour-Texas, Florida, and Georgia-are among these top ten
states; together, they account for 21% of the nation`s reported AIDS cases
through the end of 2007-or 216,199 cumulative AIDS cases.

The Kaiser Fact Sheet also pointed out:

* (AIDS) case rates per 100,000 provide a different measure of the epidemic`s
impact, since they reflect the concentration of cases after accounting for
differences in population size across states. The District of Columbia has the
highest AIDS case rate in the nation. Seven of the top 10 states by AIDS case
rate are in the South. The AHF/Magic Johnson Mobile HIV Testing Unit tour will
travel to and do HIV testing events in five of these Southern states and areas:
Louisiana (, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and the District of Columbia.

About AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF)

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is the nation`s largest non-profit HIV/AIDS
healthcare provider. AHF currently provides medical care and/or services to more
than 100,000 individuals in 21 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin
America/Caribbean and Asia. Additional information is available at
www.aidshealth.org

AIDS Healthcare Foundation
Ged Kenslea, (323) 860-5225
Mobile: (323) 791-5526
gedk@aidshealth.org

Copyright Business Wire 2009