Test for Life California is a state-based coalition made up of health/medical professionals, HIV/AIDS and minority advocacy groups, and other community leaders united with the goal of educating the public on the importance of HIV testing. Test for Life California is a campaign led by the National Minority Quality Forum (www.NMQF.org). The Test for Life campaign kicked off in September 2006 with the release of the CDC recommendations calling for HIV testing as part of routine medical care.

Central to the Test for Life California mission is the belief that HIV screening should be expanded and included as part of routine medical care to ensure that more individuals will know their HIV status. Knowledge of ones HIV status will result in a better quality of life for those infected with the disease and will help to limit the spread of the disease in California and across the country. Based on these facts, Test for Life California believes that HIV testing should be part of routine medical care.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended that the first principle of a new approach to fighting HIV/AIDS be the inclusion of HIV testing as part of routine care in traditional medical settings. At the national level, CDC estimates that approximately 1.1 million individuals currently infected with HIV in the US, 250,000 (one-quarter) are unaware of their infection. Untested HIV-positive individuals were more than twice as likely to engage in high-risk sexual behaviors as those aware of their HIV-positive status. The HIV-positive group unaware of their status contributes disproportionately to new infections relative to their percentage of the HIV-positive population in the U.S.

In the United States HIV infection is generally discovered at an advanced stage. In 2001, CDC reported that 39% of persons who received a diagnosis of HIV infection developed AIDS within 12 months of receiving the diagnosis. These facts suggest that many people learn of their infection only after they have developed advanced symptoms of the disease. If detected at an early stage, individuals living with HIV can receive effective treatment resulting in improved health and extended lifespan. In addition, CDC notes that HIV infections could be reduced by 30% per year if all HIV infected persons knew of their infection and adopted behavioral changes to limit the spread of the disease.

The Test for Life campaign hopes to provide educational opportunities that will stimulate an open dialogue on the need to increase HIV screening in communities across the country.

More about National Minority Quality Forum: Founded as a non-profit organization in 1998, the National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF) was established to strengthen national and local efforts to eliminate the disproportionate burden of premature death and preventable illness in racial and ethnic minorities and other special populations through the use of evidence-based, data-driven initiatives.

In September 2006, the NMQF launched a nation-wide campaign to raise awareness about the importance of HIV testing.