Are you in need of an HIV test but not sure where to get one? No worries. At Access Health Louisiana (AHL) we have a “Take Home HIV Test” that can be mailed out to individuals, or clients can come into one of our 10 clinics and get a free rapid HIV, Syphilis, and Hepatitis C test in person.
Both our “Take Home HIV Test” and in-person rapid testing are free of charge and clients do not need insurance. The CDC recommends that individuals between the age of 13-64 get an annual HIV test as routine care. Individuals should talk with their healthcare provider if they are at higher risk and need to have HIV and other STI testing completed more often.
When requesting a “Take Home HIV Test”, there is a simple questionnaire that you will submit. You can find the questionnaire at https://accesshealthla.org/service/hivtesting/. If you prefer to call, you can call the Pythian clinic at (504) 226-2976 and be connected to a linkage coordinator.
Once you have filled out the questionnaire or called the clinic, a linkage coordinator from Access Health Louisiana will reach out to you to obtain some additional information and to answer any questions a client may have. After the coordinator has contacted the client, the coordinator will mail out the HIV test kit that same day.
The test kit will be packaged in a manila envelope and not have any labels associated with STI services. In the envelope, there will be the HIV test kit, informational resources about sexual health and AHL services, and contact information to reach the linkage coordinator. There will be a follow-up call scheduled once the client has received the Take Home HIV test kit to make sure that they were able to complete the test successfully and document the results. If a client needs care, they will be linked to it.
If you prefer in-person HIV testing, we offer that at all our Access Health Louisiana sites. You can find our clinic locations at https://accesshealthla.org/locations/. We take walk-in clients or make appointments for rapid HIV, Syphilis, and Hepatitis C testing. When a client comes in for in-person rapid testing, they will be given the option to get tested for HIV, Syphilis, and Hepatitis C. They will have their results and a detailed health plan on what their next steps need to be within 20 minutes.
At AHL, we will make sure to connect you to the services based on your test results. If a client tests negative for HIV, we will talk to them about Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). PrEP is a medication that is taken by individuals to help reduce the chances of contracting HIV. It can be taken in pill form or injection in a healthcare setting. If a client tests positive for HIV, we will link them to care for same-day treatment and to case management services.
For more information about Access Health Louisiana and the additional services available, please visit https://accesshealthla.org/.
