HIV, STD and Hepatitis Branch

HIV Counseling and Testing

STD Clinical Services Home

All County of San Diego STD Clinics offer conventional blood testing for HIV. Rapid HIV testing is currently unavailable. You and your counselor will decide which is best. All testing is confidential (i.e. your name is recorded but protected by law). Anonymous testing is available, and conducted by County of San Diego staff, at The San Diego LGBT Center (see below for location and times).

To protect your health information, we require a photo ID when checking in at all clinics.

Fees

The STD clinic fee is $40 per visit for comprehensive STD and HIV testing, (may be waived if you are unable to pay). The fee covers a physical exam and, if necessary, laboratory tests, treatments, vaccinations and any follow-up visits within 30 days. Our clinics do not accept insurance.  Only cash and checks are accepted. There is no fee for HIV testing only.

Making an Appointment

You do not need an appointment to receive results from a previous visit.

The STD clinics at Central,  South, and North Coastal Public Health Centers are all walk-in clinics and only see patients on a first-come, first-served basis.  We encourage you to arrive as early as possible as these clinics reach patient capacity quickly.

Before Your HIV Test

*Rapid HIV testing is temporarily unavailable. 

If you would like to have an oral rapid HIV test, please do not chew gum, eat or drink fluids (including water) a minimum of 15 minutes prior to the test. Do not use any oral hygiene products (e.g., toothpaste, mouthwash, denture adhesive) for a minimum of 20 minutes prior to the test. If you have performed any of these activities immediately prior to arrival at the clinic, you may wait 15-20 minutes before taking the oral rapid test or you may have a rapid HIV test performed using finger stick blood. 

Testing Locations and Hours

County STD Clinic Locations and Hours (Printable PDF)
Ubicaciones y Horarios de las Clínicas

Testing in the Community: The County of San Diego operates a mobile HIV testing unit which visits various locations throughout the county offering confidential HIV rapid testing. For dates, times and locations of the mobile unit, please call (619) 296-2120.

Getting Your Test Results

Some of your test results may be available on the day of your visit. Results from rapid HIV tests are typically available in 20 minutes. However, most test results are available one week after your visit. If any of your tests are outside of the normal range, our staff will reach out to you to notify you of the results. If all your results are negative, we will not call you. However, you may return to the clinic where you were seen to get your results in person or call the clinic at one of the following phone numbers: 

• North Coastal Public Health Center: (760) 966-3801
  
• Central Region Public Health Center: (619) 692-5797
• South Region Public Health Center: (619) 692-5797 

Confidentiality

By law, all information regarding demographics, clinical encounters with a medical provider, and testing and treatment is confidential. This information is not shared with outside non-public health agencies without the written permission of the patient.

For Clinicians

The County of San Diego HIV, STD, and Hepatitis Branch (HSHB) operates a clinical consultation service for providers to discuss cases with an STD expert. 

For clinical consultations, call or text (619) 609-3245, between 8:00am and 5:00pm PST, Monday through Friday (excluding County holidays).  If no one answers, leave a voicemail or send a text message.  Please include the following information in your message/text:

• Your name
• Organization 
• Complete phone number, including area code—To expedite the callback, direct line numbers are preferred over main clinic or hospital numbers.

*Please do not include any patient-identifying information in any text messages or voicemails sent to this phone.
 

For more information,
please call (619) 293-4700 or send us an e-mail .

Last updated February 1, 2023