Planned Parenthood Affiliates of New Jersey
April 2, 2009

Planned Parenthood, MTV, Kaiser Family Foundation
Use Multimedia Approach to Promote STD Testing for Young People
To Reduce Alarming STD Infection Rates

TRENTON — Planned Parenthood Affiliates of New Jersey (PPANJ) is proud to participate in a nationwide campaign with MTV and the Kaiser Family Foundation and to officially unveil “GYT: Get Yourself Tested,” a campaign to increase testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among those under 25 years of age. 

In New Jersey, we know that early testing for STDs and STIs helps prevent the spread and timely treatment allows patients to address the problem before increased complications.  New Jersey ranks 5th in the country for rates of HIV/AIDS overall.  One in 308 women (age 13+) in New Jersey is living with HIV/AIDS.  Among the 50 states, New Jersey had the highest proportion of females among persons living with AIDS at the end of 2001.

GYT kicks off with a mix of promotions on-air, online and in the real world that will unfold throughout the month of April in recognition of National STD Awareness Month. The central hub of the campaign, GYT09.org, will provide comprehensive information about STDs and will direct users to the nearest testing location simply by entering a zip code. A mobile companion to GYT09.org, the GYT short code (49809), provides details about local testing locations to mobile phones by texting a zip code. 

“Most people would be shocked to hear that, by age 25, one in two sexually active young people will have an STD. This is not just a statistic, but the reality of what Planned Parenthood health centers see every day,” said Planned Parenthood Affiliates of New Jersey Executive Director Michele Jaker. “The GYT campaign is an excellent opportunity for people to learn what Planned Parenthood knows — that affordable testing and treatment and education are the tools teens and young people need to stay healthy and safe.”

As part of GYT, last night Planned Parenthood also hosted several viewing parties for Pedro, a film aired on MTV about the Real World participant Pedro Zamora.  Mr. Zamora captured the hearts of millions as the first-ever openly gay, HIV-positive main character on a television series. Told through the eyes of his friends and family, the film celebrates the extraordinary life of a young man who found out he was HIV-positive at 17, dedicated his life to speaking out about the disease, and provoked a worldwide outpouring of grief when he died at age 22.

“I hadn’t known much about Pedro before the film, but it was so powerful and moving,” said Natalie Serra, Vox: Voices for Planned Parenthood member and student at The College of New Jersey.  “It makes you realize that even in an unfortunate situation, people can choose to dedicate their life to making sure the same misfortunes don’t happen to others.”  Vox: Voices for Planned Parenthood is a pro-choice student group found on college campuses throughout the country and at seven higher education institutions in New Jersey.  The Vox chapter at The College of New Jersey had co-sponsored a viewing party with PPANJ and the college’s GLBTQ student group, Prism.

An all-star collective of pop culture personalities are carrying the GYT message far and wide, appearing in a series of attention-getting on-air and online promotions on MTV and other MTV Network properties this month; blasting out GYT on Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms; wearing GYT on their chest and sleeves; and of course, going to get tested for STDs.   

From OMG to LOL, acronyms saturate young people’s everyday vernacular, acting as common methods of communication.  Playing off mobile and Web slang, GYT is an easy way for young people to talk about sexual health and getting tested for STDs. GYT will help young people internalize the risk of STDs and eliminate taboos and stigmas surrounding STDs and STD testing. 

Planned Parenthood will be offering free or low cost testing and treatment services at the thirty-one health centers across the Garden State.  For more information, including phone numbers and directions, visit plannedparenthoodnj.org or GYT09.org

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The Planned Parenthood Affiliates of New Jersey is a not-for-profit health care organization made up of the five regional Planned Parenthood agencies. These agencies operate 31 health centers around the state that provide high quality, affordable reproductive health care and primary care services to approximately 85,000 patients each year. These services include family planning, HIV testing and counseling, pre-natal care and cancer screenings.  Planned Parenthood also conducts an active advocacy program in the New Jersey Legislature and in the United States Congress, tapping into a statewide network of more than 100,000 supporters and activists.