HIV, STD and Hepatitis Branch

HIV COUNSELING AND TESTING

ANNOUNCEMENTS 

  • Due to the evolving COVID-19 situation in our community, we have made changes to our Rosecrans STD clinic. Currently, all County of San Diego STD clinics remain open. However, until further notice, at our Rosecrans location:
    • We are providing services by appointment only.
    • Effective, Monday, May 4th, we have resumed routine “test-only” visits (i.e., visits for clients without symptoms or known exposure to an STD who are seeking routine testing).
    • All clients will be screened for symptoms of and risk factors for COVID-19 when calling the appointment line and upon arrival to the clinic. If you have cough, shortness of breath, or fever, please call your primary care provider, 2-1-1 San Diego, or, if you are experiencing a medical emergency, 9-1-1.
    • Please call the main clinic phone line (619-692-8550)  with any questions.
  • Until further notice, the STD clinic hours of operation at the regional public health centers are as follows:
    • Central Region:
      • Tuesdays: 10:00am-4:00pm
      • Fridays: 10:00am-4:00pm (unchanged)
    • North Coastal Region:
      • Wednesdays: 10:30am-5:30pm by appointment only. Please call (760) 967-4401 for an appointment.
      • The North Coastal STD clinic is now temporarily in a new location:
        3609 Ocean Ranch Blvd, Suite 104, Oceanside, 92056.         Clinic hours remain the same.
    • South Region:
      • Thursdays: 12:00-5:00pm
  • Please check this website regularly for updates, as this is a rapidly evolving situation, and things may change without notice. 

All County of San Diego STD Clinics offer conventional blood testing for HIV. In addition, the Rosecrans clinic offers rapid HIV testing (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). All court-ordered testing must be done at the Rosecrans clinic.

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

FEE

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. The Rosecrans clinic accepts cash, check and credit/debit card payments. At all other locations, only cash and checks are accepted. There is no fee for HIV testing only.

MAKING AN APPOINTMENT

If you would like to make a same-day appointment at the  Rosecrans clinic, please call the appointment line at (619) 692-8300 (hours below).Walk-in capacity at the Rosecrans location is very limited, and we may not be able to see you if you do not have an appointment.

You do not need an appointment for HIV testing only (including court-ordered testing) or to receive results from a previous visit. You may come into the Rosecrans clinic and be seen on a first come, first served basis.

ROSECRANS APPOINTMENT LINE HOURS

Phone number: (619) 692-8300

Call between:

  • Monday, Tuesday, Friday: 7:00am - 9:30am 
  • Wednesday: 10:00am - 12:30pm
  • Thursday: 9:30am – 11:00am

The Central and South clinics only accept patients on a first come, first served basis.

BEFORE YOUR HIV TEST

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

PLEASE NOTE: Clinics stop accepting patients when capacity is met. Please arrive well before closing time to ensure you will be seen. 

    PDF:  Clinic Locations and Hours (Ubicaciones y Horario)

      County Health Services Complex  (Rosecrans) - Blood and rapid testing available
    3851 Rosecrans St., Suite S, San Diego, CA 92110
    (619) 692-8550  
        Mondays, Tuesdays & Fridays: 7:30 am - 4 pm  
        Wednesdays: 11 am - 7 pm
        Thursday: 10 am - 4 pm
 
        Lunes, Martes y Viernes : 7:30 am - 4 pm 
        Miércoles: 11 am - 7 pm
       Jueves: 10 am - 4 pm

     Central Region Public Health Center - Blood testing only 
    5202 University Ave., San Diego, CA 92105
    (619) 229-5400
        Tuesday: 1 pm - 7 pm 
        Friday: 10 am - 4 pm 

      South Region Public Health Center - Blood testing only 
    690 Oxford St. Chula Vista, CA 91911
    (619) 409-3110
        Thursdays: 12 pm–6 pm

      North Coastal Public Health Center - Blood testing only 
    New temporary location: 3609 Ocean Ranch Blvd, Suite 104, Oceanside, 92056
    (760) 967-4401
         Wednesdays: 12:30 pm–7:30 pm

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.

CLINIC CLOSURES

ALL CLINICS WILL BE CLOSED ON THE FOLLOWING DAYS IN 2021:

  • January 1 - New Year's Day
  • January 18 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
  • February 15 - Washington's Birthday 
  • March 31 - Cesar Chavez Day 
  • May 31 - Memorial Day 
  • July 5 - Independence Day
  • September 6 - Labor Day
  • November 11 - Veterans' Day
  • November 25-26 - Thanksgiving
  • December 24 - Christmas Day
  • December 31 -  New Year's Day

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: 

County Health Services Complex (Rosecrans): Please call (619) 692-5797. 

North Coastal Public Health Center: Please call (760) 967-4401 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, or Friday from 8 am–5 pm.

Central Region Public Health Center: Please call (619) 229-5405 on Fridays from 8 am – 9 am.

South Region Public Health Center: Please call (619) 409-3110 on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Friday from 8 am–5 pm or Thursday from 12 pm –6 pm.

CONFIDENTIALITY

By law, all information regarding demographics, clinical encounters with a medical provider, 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. Please call or text  (619) 609-3245, between 8:00am and 5:00pm PST, Monday through Friday (excluding County holidays). Please make sure to leave your name, organization and 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.

PLEASE NOTE: Effective November 8, 2019, HSHB has implemented the new phone line above for providers seeking expert STD clinical consultation. This phone line replaces the STD clinical consultation pager (877) 217-1816. We will continue to operate the consultation pager during the transition, but the pager will be completely phased out by December 31, 2019.

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

Last updated March 9, 2020.