Press Releases
Year
National HIV Testing Day
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 23, 2016
Contact
Candi Crause,Director of Infectious Disease Prevention & Management
(217) 531-5372 /
Amy Roberts, Public Relations
(217) 531-4264 /
National HIV Testing Day
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Encourages Citizens to “Take the Test, Take Control”
Champaign, IL – National HIV Testing Day is Monday, June 27, 2016 and the
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) encourages everyone to get tested.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are more than 1.2 million people in the United States that are living with HIV. Because of effective treatments, people are living long and healthy lives with HIV. But it important to start treatment as soon as a person finds out that they have HIV. If you are living with HIV or know someone who is, you can contact CUPHD at 217-531-5368 and speak to Gary for more information.
It is estimated by the CDC that there are 50,000 new HIV infections each year in the United States. Almost one in seven people are unaware of their infection. Over half of young people between the ages of 13-24 living with HIV are unaware of their infection. On average, 1,800 people are diagnosed with HIV in Illinois each year. CUPHD provides testing services Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM at 201 W. Kenyon Road in Champaign. Home HIV testing kits can be purchased at Walgreens as well.
CUPHD is offering a new prevention option, PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis). PrEP is for people who are HIV negative, but who are at risk of HIV infection. According to the CDC, PrEP has been shown to reduce the risk of HIV infection in people by over 90 percent. For more information on PrEP, please call Louise at 217-531-5365.
This year, CUPHD is partnering with Walgreens, Uniting Pride (UP Center), and the Greater Community AIDS Project (GCAP) to promote HIV Testing. Testing and information about community resources will be available from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM in the parking lot of the Walgreens store at the intersection of Prospect and Bloomington Road in Champaign.
For more information, contact the Infectious Disease division at 217-531-5365.
CUPHD Finds Local Tobacco Vending Practices that Increase Youth Smoking Rates
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 25, 2021
Contact
Tara McCauley, Special Projects Coordinator
(217) 531‐4252 / tmccauley@c‐uphd.org
Amy Roberts, Public Relations
(217) 531-4264 /
CUPHD Finds Local Tobacco Vending Practices that Increase Youth Smoking Rates
Champaign County, IL – The Champaign‐Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) is releasing a report this month with findings that tobacco vending in Champaign County is more heavily concentrated in certain areas, and that a number of vendors have practices that make smoking more appealing to youth. Retail tobacco practices have a direct impact on the number of smokers, and how many youth begin smoking.
The Champaign County tobacco vendor survey found that:
- Tobacco vendors are more likely to be located near schools in low income areas;
- More than half of local teens live near a tobacco vendor;
- Tobacco products attractive and accessible to youth are more prevalent in certain villages, with the highest number in Mahomet;
- Tobacco vendors are more concentrated in certain villages, with the highest density in Thomasboro.
These vendor practices have been shown to increase smoking rates among low income people, youth, and the general population.
Because smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the US, with tobacco killing one in five people, public health advocates recommend reducing tobacco vendor practices that make smoking more likely. These recommendations include: reducing tobacco advertising inside and outside stores, reducing the number of tobacco vendors, raising tobacco prices, moving tobacco products out of reach of children, removing flavored tobacco products that appeal to youth, and not selling tobacco near candy, toys, or schools.
Tara McCauley, CUPHD Special Projects Coordinator, said, “Our research into local tobacco vendor practices demonstrates that our community needs to do more to prevent the disease and death caused by smoking. CUPHD hopes that we can take action locally to reduce the attractiveness of smoking when adults and youth frequent local businesses.”
CUPHD had assistance with its report from the GIS and Spatial Analysis Lab at the University of Illinois (UIUC) College of Veterinary Medicine, and CUPHD also used data from the Illinois Youth Survey from the UIUC Center for Prevention Research and Development.
CUPHD’s tobacco prevention project is part of the Illinois Department of Public Health’s Tobacco Free Communities initiative.
For more information: www.c‐uphd.org/tobacco.html
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Free Screening of Someone You Love: The HPV Epidemic
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 19, 2016
Contact
Whitney Greger, Health Educator I
(217) 531-2914 /
Amy Roberts, Public Relations
(217) 531-4264 /
Free Screening of Someone You Love: The HPV Epidemic
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District to Host Free Screening of Documentary
Champaign, IL – The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) will host a screening of the documentary Someone You Love: The HPV Epidemic on Tuesday, May 3, 2016. The event will be held at the Art Theater Co-op located at 126 W. Church Street in Champaign from 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM. The event is free to the public and includes a panel discussion following the screening featuring local experts currently battling HPV and cervical cancer in the area. Popcorn will be available free of charge.
The human papillomavirus, or HPV, may be the most widespread, misunderstood and unknown epidemic. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), HPV is so common that almost all sexually active men and women will get it at some point in their lives and most will not even realize that they have it. Cervical cancer is almost exclusively caused by HPV. Human papillomavirus is also responsible for 70 percent of vaginal and vulvar cancers and 60 percent of penile cancers.
The documentary Someone You Love: The HPV Epidemic will introduce five women whose lives have been changed forever, and in some cases, ended by this deadly virus.
For more information, please contact Whitney Greger at (217) 531-2914.
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