API Wellness Center set up free HIV and hepatitis testing at the 2012 Castro Street Fair to reach Asian and Pacific Islander gay and bisexual men where they already gather. A festive, non-clinical setting bypasses the stigma that keeps people away from clinics and sparks conversations about testing.
We're API Wellness Center. We're here providing free HIV testing and hepatitis B and hepatitis C screenings. It's important to provide these services here at Castro Street Fair because a lot of our target demographic, which is Asian and Pacific Islander gay and bisexual men, they do come to the Castro to party. And so we wanted to bring the clinic to them instead of having— being passive and expecting them to come to our clinic to access services. I think a lot of Asian and Pacific Islanders, they stigmatize a lot of illnesses in their community. So coming and providing these services in cultural festivals where HIV or hepatitis is not at the forefront, it's kind of catching them off guard. It's a good strategy to get people to kind of see who we are, show our face, and then inspire conversations in the community as they walk by our tent. And then hopefully they'll stop by and get a test. Our ultimate goal is definitely to end health disparities, but of course that's a very big goal. But what we try to achieve on a daily basis is to end a lot of the stigma and discrimination and a lot of the other social or cultural issues that really create barriers for people to access healthcare.
