Free HIV, Hepatitis C Screenings Offered in Pahrump Through Mobile Health Unit

CAN Community Health's mobile unit arrived at 250 N. Highway 160 this morning, offering Pahrump residents free HIV and Hepatitis C screenings from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. with no appointment, no insurance card, and no cost. The stop placed the mobile unit in Suite 3 of a building that also houses Nye County Health & Human Services in Suite 1, bringing clinical-grade screening directly into the same block where county services already operate.

The backdrop for the visit is stark. Nearly 14,000 people were living with HIV in Nevada as of 2023, according to the Southern Nevada Health District, while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recorded approximately 39,000 new HIV diagnoses nationally that same year. Both the CDC and the Southern Nevada Health District recommend everyone between the ages of 13 and 64 get tested at least once. In Pahrump, the only standing local option is the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services community health nurse office at 1981 E. Calvada Blvd. N, Ste. 100, which operates on a call-to-schedule, appointment-only basis. Today's walk-in event required neither.

In addition to screenings, the mobile unit offered access to PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis), a daily medication for HIV-negative individuals that CAN Community Health says reduces the risk of HIV infection by up to 99 percent when taken consistently. CAN operates a PrEP Navigator program to help eligible individuals connect to the medication and work through the process of obtaining it.

For anyone who received a positive result today, the pathway forward does not end at the mobile unit. CAN's Las Vegas clinic is a designated Ryan White Provider, a federal program that covers HIV-related care for people without sufficient insurance or financial resources. That clinic offers Rapid Start Medical Care, HIV treatment, Hepatitis C treatment, Patient Care Coordination, and Linkage to Care services. Telehealth appointments are available for Pahrump-area patients who cannot make the drive, and nPEP (non-occupational post-exposure prophylaxis) is on hand for individuals with a recent potential HIV exposure. All services provided through the mobile unit are confidential.

CAN Community Health is a private, not-for-profit organization whose mission centers on serving people affected by HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections through outreach, clinical practice, advocacy, education, and research. The Pahrump stop is part of the organization's structured mobile outreach program, which extends its Las Vegas clinic into surrounding rural communities that face well-documented transportation and access barriers. Nye County, one of the largest counties by land area in the contiguous United States, is precisely the kind of geography that model was built for.

Residents who missed today's screening can contact CAN Community Health through its Las Vegas clinic for HIV testing, treatment, PrEP services, and telehealth referrals, or reach the Pahrump DHHS nurse line to schedule an appointment at 1981 E. Calvada Blvd. N.