Locate an HIV Care Provider

How Do You Find an HIV Health Care Provider?

If you have a positive HIV test result, your HIV testing site will often link you to HIV care right after diagnosis so you can get started on treatment right away. That’s because starting treatment with HIV medicine (called antiretroviral therapy or ART) as soon as possible is the best thing you can do to stay healthy. HIV medicine can reduce the amount of HIV in your blood to an undetectable level—a level so low that a lab test can’t detect it. People with HIV who take HIV medicine exactly as prescribed and get and keep an undetectable viral load can live long and healthy lives and will not transmit HIV to their HIV-negative partners through sex. (This is often called undetectable = untransmittable or U=U). Treatment with HIV medicine is recommended for all people with HIV, regardless of how long you’ve had the virus or how healthy you are.

You can also find an HIV health care provider by using HIV.gov’s HIV Testing Sites and Care Services Locator. Just enter your ZIP code to be connected to HIV medical care and other services such as HIV testing locations, housing assistance, substance abuse, and mental health services.

There are other ways to find HIV providers and services too:

1. Ask your primary care provider—If you have a primary care provider (someone who manages your regular medical care), that person may have the medical knowledge to treat your HIV. If not, he or she can refer you to a provider who specializes in providing HIV care and treatment.
2. Find a Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Medical Provider—The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) provides HIV care and support to low-income people with HIV. You can get RWHAP HIV care and support services if:  You are diagnosed with HIV or AIDS,  you are low income (as decided by city, county, state, or clinic financial criteria), and you have no health insurance or you have insurance that doesn’t pay for the care you need. Use this locator to find a Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program site near you. A case manager will help you understand what services you can get.
3. Call your state HIV/AIDS hotline—State HIV/AIDS toll-free hotlines are available to help connect you to agencies that can help determine what services you are eligible for and help you get them.
4. Visit a health center—Health centers are local clinics that can treat your medical, dental, and other health care needs, regardless of your ability to pay. They are in all U.S. states, territories, and the District of Columbia. Health centers adjust their fees based on income and family size. Even if you don’t have insurance or can’t afford to pay, you will not be turned away. Find a health center near you.
5. Search the Referral Link directory—The American Academy of HIV Medicine's Referral LinkExit Disclaimer is a directory of health care providers specializing in HIV management and prevention across the country. The doctors and clinicians represented in this database practice in a variety of care settings including health centers, Ryan White clinics, and private practices.
6. Use your home HIV test hotline—If you received an HIV diagnosis by using an HIV home test kit, it is important that you take the next steps to make sure your test result is correct. Home test manufacturers provide confidential counseling to answer questions and provide local referrals for follow-up testing and care.

Why Do You Need to Find an HIV Health Care Provider?

A health care provider will work with you to determine which HIV medicines are right for you, prescribe your medication, monitor your progress, help you manage your health, and connect you to other providers you may need to see for related health issues. Your provider will also help connect you to HIV case managers and other care team members who can help you access the support services you need to stay adherent to your medication. Learn about types of providers and who is on an HIV care team.

How Soon Do You Need to Find an HIV Health Care Provider?

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) HIV clinical guidelines recommend that people with HIV start medical care and begin HIV treatment as soon as possible after diagnosis. If you have the following conditions, it's especially important to start ART right away: pregnancy, AIDS, certain HIV-related illnesses and coinfections, and early HIV infection. (Early HIV infection is the period up to 6 months after infection with HIV.) Learn more about when to start ART.