Hunter and New England residents are the driving force behind a new HIV testing campaign that aims to increase testing rates among gay and same sex attracted men in the region.

The Hunter New England Test Often campaign is a collaboration between ACON – NSW’s leading HIV prevention, HIV support and LGBTI* health organisation – and Hunter New England Local Health District to raise awareness of the range of local HIV testing and treatment services.

The new campaign aims to build on the success of ACON’s previous testing campaigns by encouraging gay and same sex attracted men in the Hunter and New England regions to test more often. The campaign tackles key barriers that discourage many gay men from getting tested, such as fear of the process, anxiety about talking to their GP or believing they’re not at risk.

Increasing HIV testing rates among gay men is a fundamental part of the NSW Government’s strategy for ending HIV transmission in NSW. While testing rates have increased by 30% over the last few years, testing rates among gay men need to increase further if the aim of ending HIV transmission in NSW by 2020 is to be realised.

To be promoted across the region via local print and online media, popular radio stations and social media, the Test Often campaign features local men and health care providers from the Hunter New England region sharing their stories, experiences and messages.

Clinical Director of Hunter New England Sexual Health ,Dr Nathan Ryder said: “We hope this locally developed campaign will encourage those at risk of HIV to test for HIV at least twice a year. Testing for HIV is now easier than ever, with testing available at GPs, Aboriginal health services and sexual health clinics across our region.”

ACON CEO Nicolas Parkhill said: “This campaign is a localised version of a broader ACON testing campaign which proved very successful at getting gay men to take action. More gay men are testing for HIV than ever before which is great – more testing means more men know their HIV status. We are delighted to be working with the Hunter New England Local Health District to reproduce those successes throughout regional NSW,” Mr Parkhill said.

“As social and cultural attitudes shift to be increasingly inclusive, many LGBTI people growing up in the country are choosing to live locally than relocate to the city. Extending the message about HIV prevention more broadly is a key focus of ACON and our partners in the HIV sector.

“On the whole, our community is engaged and mobilised around the goal of ending HIV. However we know a significant proportion of those at risk of HIV are either not testing or not testing frequently enough. We need to break down the barriers that hold some men back from getting tested more often, and we hope this new helps address these issues.”

To view the new campaign, please visit: www.endinghiv.org.au/hne

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ENDS     *LGBTI = lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex