Where to Get Tested

Where to Get Tested

People can get tested for HIV at a variety of different places, such as doctors' offices, health departments, hospitals, and sites that specialize in HIV testing. Some places, like certain clinics or hospitals, offer tests at little or no cost.

Anonymous Test Sites. An anonymous test site will never ask for a person's name or other identifying details. Instead, anyone being tested goes by a number and he or she is the only one who knows the results of the test. Although people go by numbers at anonymous sites, they aren't treated like just another number. Many anonymous sites have counselors available to talk with the person being tested, both before and after testing. No written record of the test result is kept at anonymous test sites.

Confidential Test Sites. Confidential testing means that at a certain point in the process the person being tested will need to identify themselves. The results may appear as a written report in his or her medical file.

Every state has different laws pertaining to HIV testing, so it's always a good idea to check to see what is available in a particular area.