Retail giant Walmart and MISTR, a telemedicine provider offering free online STI testing, PrEP, DoxyPEP and long-term HIV care, have launched a pilot program offering free at-home HIV testing kits to customers from seven Walmart stores in Georgia.

The tests require a finger prick. Step-by-step instructions and an instructional video are included in each kit to ensure each test is done correctly. 

The pilot program will run while supplies last. To start, around 3,000 kits will be available at each location.

"The idea is to offer these free HIV test kits indefinitely, assuming there is demand," Tristan Schukraft, founder and CEO of MISTR, told MobiHealthNews via email. "By offering at-home HIV test kits to people for free, we’re enabling them to test on their own time, in the comfort and privacy of their own homes."

Beyond that, MISTR is taking things one step further by giving them access to free treatment and follow-up care through the company's telehealth platform, should there be a positive result.

"The ultimate goal of offering free HIV test kits via Walmart is to help stop the HIV epidemic," Schukraft said. "We’d love to run out of test kits on day one, but our ultimate goal is to eliminate HIV in Atlanta and throughout the country." 

He said people need access to these tests in rural areas, where it’s hard to get to a clinic, and Walmart is an ideal partner for providing that.

"It's important to reach all communities, and Walmart is well positioned in rural areas where access to free HIV testing is typically not available, and/or patients feel uncomfortable seeking an HIV test from a local provider in a tight-knit community," he said.

THE LARGER TREND

Georgia has one of the highest rates in the country for new HIV transmissions. 

The CDC recommends that everyone aged 13 to 64 be tested for HIV at least once as part of routine health care and at least annually for those at higher risk.

Among the two million people with HIV in the U.S., an estimated 13% do not know they are living with HIV, and this share accounts for nearly 40% of new transmissions.

Awareness of HIV status allows those who are positive to engage in HIV treatment, which optimizes health outcomes, reduces viral load (the amount of virus in the body) and prevents transmission.