Free HIV Testing

An estimated 1.1 million people in the United States are living with HIV, including about 162,500 people who are unaware of their status. Nearly 40% of new HIV infections are transmitted by people who do not know they have the virus. For people with undiagnosed HIV, testing is the first step in maintaining a healthy life and reducing the spread of HIV.

Should I Get Tested for HIV?

CDC recommends everyone between the ages of 13 and 64 get tested for HIV at least once.

Getting an HIV test is the only way to know if you have HIV. Our knowledgeable, experienced, certified HIV Test Counselors will conduct the test and can answer your questions in a confidential setting. Whether your results are negative or positive, they can provide information and referrals to help you to stay safe and stay healthy.

If you were HIV-negative the last time you were tested, the test was more than one year ago, and you can answer yes to any of the following questions, then you should get an HIV test as soon as possible:

• Are you a man who has had sex with another man?
• Have you had sex—anal or vaginal—with a partner who is living with HIV?
• Have you had more than one sex partner since your last HIV test?
• Have you injected drugs and shared needles, syringes, or other drug injection equipment (for example, cookers) with others?
• Have you exchanged sex for drugs or money?
• Have you been diagnosed with or treated for another sexually transmitted disease?
• Have you been diagnosed with or treated for hepatitis or tuberculosis (TB)?
• Have you had sex with someone who could answer yes to any of the above questions or someone whose sexual history you don’t know?

You should be tested at least once a year if you keep doing any of these things. Sexually active gay and bisexual men may benefit from more frequent testing (for example, every 3 to 6 months).

If you’re pregnant, talk to your health care provider about getting tested for HIV and other ways to protect you and your child from getting HIV.

Before having sex for the first time with a new partner, you and your partner should talk about your sexual and drug-use history, disclose your HIV status, and consider getting tested for HIV and learning the results.

For more information, please visit the U.S. National Library of Medicine at https://hivinfo.nih.gov/understanding-hiv/fact-sheets/hiv-testing

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