Groups around Idaho Falls honor World AIDS Day

Saturday is World AIDS Day. It is dedicated to raising awareness of AIDS caused by the spread of HIV infection.

To help show support, Eastern Idaho Public Health will be offering free, confidential HIV tests all month in all of the county offices. EIPH wants everyone to know what their status is. They recommend everyone get tested at least once in their life.

“There’s people out there that have HIV that don’t know they have HIV,” said Amy Gamett, division administrator for EIPH. “It’s important to know your status and, particularly, depending on your risk factors, we want to make sure people know. That’s how we stop the spread of the disease – more people that are aware, educated and know their status.”

Free HIV testing will be offered all month in December. The Bonneville County EIPH office will be offering a special clinic on Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon

EIPH said make sure to call and schedule the appointments.

With the recognition of World AIDS Day also comes the AIDS Memorial Quilt, which is now on display in Idaho Falls.

The AIDS Memorial Quilt is a giant quilt made as a memorial to celebrate the lives lost due to an AIDS-related cause. Each panel on the quilt is 3 feet by feet which is the size of a human grave.

Breaking Boundaries of Idaho Falls said this is one of the larger displays in the country.

“A lot of them were buried that didn’t have anybody attend their funerals because of the stigma,” said Yon Scott, board of directors for Breaking Boundaries. “We had funeral homes and cemeteries that would not allow them to be buried with dignity. This is our way of remembering them and giving them back their dignity.”

The quilt will be on display until Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Elks Lodge.

In addition, there will be a dedication of new panels for the National Names Project Memorial AIDS Quilt at 5:30 p.m.