HIV, STD and Hepatitis Branch

HIV Counseling and Testing 

Announcements

Please check this website regularly for updates

  • The Rosecrans County Health Services Complex STD Clinic has permanently closed.
    • To better serve you, we have expanded STD services at our other locations.  For information about our other STD clinic locations and hours, please see our Visit a County STD Clinic page. We apologize for any inconvenience.
  • Until further notice, the STD clinic hours of operation at the Regional Public Health Centers are as follows: 
    • Central Region: 
      • Tuesdays: 9:00am-4:00pm
      • Wednesdays: 9:00am-4:00pm
      • Fridays: 9:00am-4:00pm
    • North Coastal Region:
      • Wednesdays: 10:30am-5:30pm 
    • South Region:
      • Mondays: 10:00am-4:00pm
      • Tuesdays: 10:00am-4:00pm
      • Wednesdays: 10:00am-4:00pm
      • Thursdays: 12:00pm-5:00pm
      • Fridays: 10:00am-4:00pm

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.

Fee

 *As of July 25, 2022, the $40 STD clinic fee is being waived until further notice to support the County’s monkeypox response.

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

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

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.

Clinic Closures

All Clinics will be closes the following days in 2022:

  • January 1 - New Year's Day
  • January 17 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
  • February 21 - President's Day
  • March 31 - Cesar Chavez Day 
  • May 30 - Memorial Day
  • June 20 - Juneteenth
  • July 4 - Independence Day
  • September 5 - Labor Day
  • November 11 - Veterans' Day
  • November 24-25 - Thanksgiving 
  • December 26 - Christmas 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: 

  • 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, 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. Please call or text (619) 609-3245, between 8:00am and 5:00pm PST, Monday through Friday (excluding County holidays).

Please make sure to provide the following information:

  • 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.


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 e-mail .

 

Last updated September 26, 2022.