HIV Counseling and Testing Sites

The AIDS Programs supports many local HIV counseling and testing sites. These sites are for persons at risk for HIV infection, especially those who do not have private insurance. The AIDS Programs trains the counselors and the tests are done at the state laboratory.

Strict confidentiality is maintained, and some sites offer anonymous testing (anonymous testing means that you do not give your name).

You can also get HIV counseling and testing through your own doctor. If you wish, you can be tested for HIV using a commercially available home collection kit. You must purchase the kit and send the sample through the mail to a laboratory for testing. Counseling also is available by telephone. Home blood collection kits can be purchased at your local pharmacy.

If you are at risk for HIV and you do not have money to pay for an HIV test, you can contact one of the following local HIV test sites near you:

Partner Notification Information

If you have HIV infection, your sexual or needle-sharing partners need to know that they have been exposed to HIV and that they may be infected with HIV. They need HIV counseling and testing. This is hard to do. To help you, the Department runs a partner notification program called the Companion Awareness and Risk Education (CARE) Program.

The staff of the CARE program are HIV counselors specially trained to help you notify your partners. They can help you by notifying your partners for you, or by going with you to notify your partners, or by teaching you how to notify your partners yourself.

The program is strictly confidential; if they notify your partners for you, the CARE counselors will not tell your partners who you are. Some people can notify their current partner but have trouble notifying past partners; the CARE Program can help.

Call the CARE Program at (860) 509-7920

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Connecticut State Department of Public Health