There a many places to get HIV testing, including local health departments, private doctors, hospitals and sites set up specifically to test for HIV. It is important find a testing site that offers HIV counseling as well as the test. HIV counselors can provide you with important information about the test, discuss your risks for HIV, answer your questions about your risk for HIV and how to protect yourself and others in the future. They also can provide information about other resources available in the area.

Some locations may have rapid tests that can tell if you are infected within 30 minutes, while in other locations it may take up to 2 weeks to get results. Check with the test site to find out what type of HIV tests they have.

There are also home collection kits that allow you to take your own blood sample and send it in to be anonymously tested. The only test approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for home collection is Home Access. You can purchase this test in most drug stores, but it is also available for purchase online at http://www.homeaccess.com, or by calling 1-800-CONFIDE (1-800-266-3433). Many other tests are advertised on the internet, but Home Access is the only approved device for this use in the United States.

For a test site near you, visit the National HIV Testing Resource at www.hivtest.org or call. For service in English or en español you can call either: 1-800-CDC-INFO or 1-800-342-2437. The lines are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing TTY Service call 1-888-232-6348.