COLUMBIA , South Carolina ( CNN ) -- `` It was killing people , and I wanted to do something about it . '' Bambi Gaddist 's nonprofit has provided free HIV tests to more than 8,600 people since 2000 . That realization about the AIDS crisis propelled Bambi Gaddist into activism in South Carolina more than 20 years ago , and she 's been relentless in her fight to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS there ever since . One of the most effective tools in her arsenal ? A large white RV . With `` GET TESTED '' written in bold letters on its side , the camper van is the mobile unit of the South Carolina HIV/AIDS Council , a nonprofit that Gaddist helped start and has headed since 1995 . The only unit of its kind in South Carolina , the van brings confidential HIV testing and information to communities across the state . Since 2000 , Gaddist 's organization has provided HIV tests to more than 8,600 people , free of charge . Gaddist says the face of AIDS has changed since the mid-1980s , when she helped run one of the first grass-roots AIDS awareness campaigns in Columbia , South Carolina , while pursuing her doctorate in public health . `` In the '80s , HIV was seen as a gay , white male disease , '' Gaddist said . `` Here in South Carolina , it became an African-American disease . '' In 2006 , African-Americans accounted for 76 percent of the new AIDS cases diagnosed in South Carolina , and the state ranked ninth in the nation for those living with the disease , according to the Kaiser Family Foundation . iReport.com : Share stories of being black in America . Statistics like these are what drives Gaddist and her staff . The mobile unit hits the road at least two to three times a week , and Gaddist says it goes just about anywhere -- gay and straight nightclubs , housing projects , health fairs or churches . `` We refuse to be quiet . That 's what 's going to save the lives of our children : talking about it and not hiding it , '' Gaddist said . At outreach events , staffers distribute free condoms and information while trying to recruit people to be tested . Eight to 15 people usually take the 10-minute test at every event . Someday , Gaddist hopes , HIV tests will be as common as breast cancer exams or skin cancer screenings . Watch Gaddist and her team in action outside a nightclub » . `` We 're trying to normalize this , '' Gaddist said . `` [ We want ] anyone , regardless of who they are , to say , ' I need to know my status . ' `` Gaddist believes that the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS has contributed to people 's ignorance about the virus and to its alarming spread throughout the state . `` After 27 years of AIDS , we are still combating a mentality of fear and shame , '' she said . In response , Gaddist has recruited powerful allies to her cause : South Carolina 's churches . Since 2006 , Gaddist 's group has run a program that educates local pastors about the disease and teaches them how to do outreach in their communities . Gaddist has gotten 30 churches on board . She believes that this is n't just spreading much-needed awareness ; it 's helping reshape public attitudes . Watch Gaddist describe how churches have gotten involved with her cause » . `` People still believe that you get [ HIV/AIDS ] from touching someone , from hugging someone , '' Gaddist said . `` The first arm of defense against this disease is to educate them . '' In the past , Gaddist says , some churches helped perpetuate the stigma about the disease . `` [ But ] now more than ever before , the church holds a solution to the HIV/AIDS epidemic , '' she said . Gaddist has helped her organization grow from a two-person operation to a 23-member staff . In addition to testing and counseling , the South Carolina HIV/AIDS Council provides case management for people living with HIV and runs several programs targeting at-risk populations . Still , for all she 's done , Gaddist ca n't imagine a time when she 'll ever stop doing this work . Watch Gaddist explain how the mobile outreach unit works with the community » . `` I joke about being a 70-year-old woman giving out condoms , '' she said . Knowing how many people are at risk is what keeps Gaddist motivated . `` When it 's my time , I want my obituary to say that I have made a difference for someone and that I saved somebody 's life . ''
Woman has headed nonprofit South Carolina HIV/AIDS Council since 1995 . Since 2000 , the council has provided free HIV tests to more than 8,600 people . One of the most effective tools in her arsenal is a mobile testing unit .