Confidential HIV antibody testing is offered by many local hospitals, family planning clinics, and private doctors.
HIV testing is voluntary. When you go for an HIV test at, a clinic or other testing site, or if you are offered a test by a doctor’s office, you will receive information about the f HIV test. This will include information about available testing options, the meaning of test results, and a review of your HIV risk. You will need to give written consent for the HIV test . Written, informed consent is an essential part of HIV counseling in New York State.
For a standard HIV test, a blood or oral fluid sample is taken and sent to a laboratory; you will need to call or come back about a week after the test to get your test result. At some clinics and doctors’ offices, you can get a rapid HIV test, which can give you the results that day. The test takes about 20 minutes to get results. If your rapid HIV test is positive, it will need to be confirmed by a second test, which is sent to a laboratory. This is called a confirmatory test. The results of this test are not ready right away. When you get your test result, you will receive information about what the result means. If you test positive for HIV, you will receive post-test counseling on how to reduce the risk of passing the virus to others, referrals for medical care, and other social services.
A home HIV test kit is sold over-the-counter at pharmacies and other stores. With the home test kit, you take a finger-stick blood sample and send it to a laboratory. Later, you call to get the test result over the phone, using an anonymous code number. You can receive a referral for re-testing if you test positive for HIV and for
medical treatment
To find out more about getting tested, call your doctor, local hotline number, or the State Department of Health.
