September 21, 2022 – OraSure Technologies announced that it has been selected to provide its OraQuick® In-Home HIV tests in support of the CDC “Together Take Me Home” HIV self-test program. Under the program, the CDC will provide $41.5 million over a five-year period to support community testing. Emory University will manage the program and closely collaborate with a number of partner organizations, including OraSure, to supply tests to communities not equitably reached by HIV testing services across the United States.
Almost 1.2 million people aged 13 and older have HIV in the United States, including an estimated 158,500 who don’t know they have it. Identifying these individuals and linking them to care is a crucial element of the Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative and empowers these individuals and their communities to take control of their healthcare. The “Together Take Me Home” program helps address testing barriers, including stigma, privacy concerns, cost, and lack of access to traditional HIV clinics by offering HIV self-tests through mail delivery. This program follows a successful collaborative pilot program by the same name, for which OraSure also supplied tests.
As part of the program, OraSure will provide up to one million OraQuick® In-Home HIV tests over a five- year period. Emory University and partner organizations will manage the program and provide logistical and distribution services for the tests. A free HIV self-test will be mailed in discreet packages to people who enroll through its website. The program will target populations that are disproportionately affected by HIV and less likely to have access to key prevention services.
“We are proud to work with the Centers for Disease Control and Emory to help support broader HIV testing and awareness in underserved communities across the United States,” said Lisa Nibauer, President of Diagnostics for OraSure Technologies. “Programs such as the Together Take Me Home initiative show that the government can take an active role in making a difference against the major public health crises that we face as a country and to support marginalized populations. We firmly believe that these programs reduce the spread of diseases that disproportionately affect marginalized communities and lower overall cost to the healthcare system by identifying patients early, connecting them to care, and allowing for successful interventions that lead to empowering lives informed by ones HIV status.”