Is HIV Testing Safe from the Health Department?

Receiving an HIV test at the health department is both safe and confidential. Local health departments are sometimes the only options available for professional HIV tests, especially in rural areas. Both large cities and small county communities have health departments available for those who need them for testing purposes.

Testing Recommendations

• The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends HIV testing for anyone between the ages of 13 and 64. These tests can be performed at any city or county health department location.

Safety of Health Department Tests

• New, clean needles are used with every blood draw for HIV tests. This prevents the risk of infection that can arise from reusing needles.

Confidential Testing

• In most cases, HIV test results are placed in the patient's medical file to be used by health care providers. The information is not made available to insurance companies, employers, or family members without the patient's consent.

Informed Consent

• Health departments are required to obtain consent for any tests performed, and must also explain both what the test is looking for and how it might affect the patient's future ability to obtain services.

Anonymous Testing

• Most health departments allow individuals who are receiving HIV tests to do so anonymously if they wish, meaning they do not give their name and no permanent record of the test is made. No file is kept on the individual in this case, so no copy of the test results will be kept by health care officials.