As we approach Phoenix Pride this weekend, ABC15 wanted to take a moment to highlight what's known as the "Fast Track Cities" initiative to one day stop the HIV epidemic in its tracks.
The goal is a 95-95-95 strategy, where 95% of people living with HIV know their status, 95% of people living with HIV are getting treatment, and 95% of people living with HIV are undetectable.
The City of Phoenix is taking part in the Fast Track Cities initiative with the help of community partners like Spectrum Medical.
"For me, if I leave anything in this world, it's hopefully helping to change the conversation," explains Victor Avila, who is Spectrum Medical's Director of Marketing and Community Engagement.
For Victor, it is deeply personal; in 2009, he found out he was living with HIV.
"I'll say to people, 'Hi! I'm Victor and I'm living with HIV,' and that implies that I am living, that I am actually living and it's not stopping me."
Victor adds HIV is just one small part of his story but doesn't define him.
Spectrum Medical is a Phoenix-based health provider that offers free and low-cost HIV testing and treatment as well as testing and treatment for STIs. They also provide PEP and PrEP medications to help prevent HIV infections.
"Approximately 20-30% of people living with HIV are not aware of their status," explains Dr. Jose Rodriguez-Garcia, the medical director for Spectrum Medical.
It's a troubling number he and his team at Spectrum are fighting to change.
"Instead of waiting for people to come in and get tested or receive care, we have to go out into the community and meet them where they are at."
And that's exactly what Spectrum Medical is doing, using a mobile clinic unit to provide a number of services and resources, such as free HIV testing.
They also have two exam areas on board and can provide STI testing and PrEP and PEP consultations.
HIV tests are administered with a simple finger prick; results are known in under two minutes.
For Victor, he says the visibility is crucial.
"I think visibility is key to making sure we destigmatize what it means to be living with HIV and it's key to getting more people to get tested and to normalize the conversation."
It's important to remember that it is not just gay men or MSM who are being diagnosed with HIV. According to the CDC, nearly one in five new HIV infections in the United States in 2021 were diagnosed in women.
To learn more about the Fast Track Cities initiative, click here.
To learn more about the services and resources provided by Spectrum Medical, click here.
