Do I have to pay for an HIV test?
You don't have to pay for an HIV test if you receive a test at your local public health office or local HIV prevention organization. If you have private insurance and ask for an HIV test from your doctor, co-pays or lab test fees may apply. Check with your insurance to make sure!
Do I have to give my name to get an HIV test?
In New Mexico, sites may offer either anonymous or confidential HIV tests, or both. With an anonymous test, your name is never used and you are identified by a unique code number. With a confidential test, your name is used but kept private by the test provider. While an anonymous test offers more privacy, a confidential test may help your medical provider with decisions about other care you receive.
Can a Minor get tested for HIV or another STD without his/her parents consent?
Yes. Below are the state laws and statues that allow any person of any age to consent to an HIV or any other STD.
Sexually transmitted diseases (STD’s): “Any person regardless of age has the capacity to consent to an examination and treatment by a licensed physician for any sexually transmitted disease.” NMSA § 24-1-9 (NM Public Health Act).
HIV and AIDS: “A minor shall have the capacity to give informed consent to have the human immunodeficiency virus test performed on himself.” NMSA § 24-2B-3 (NM Human Immunodeficiency Virus Test Act).
What if my HIV test comes back positive?
We have resources for HIV care and support in every region of New Mexico. All agencies that offer HIV testing are aware of these resources and have ways to link clients to care. You are not alone. And the sooner you learn of your HIV status and get linked to care, the better you'll do on HIV treatment. There are many medical options available now.
Does any agency offer rapid HIV testing?
Yes. Rapid HIV tests get results back within a single visit to the test site, using new tests that develop in less than 15 minutes. The following providers offer both conventional HIV tests and the new rapid testing:
Southwest CARE Center in Santa Fe
Planned Parenthood of New Mexico in Albuquerque
Navajo AIDS Network (NAN) in Gallup
Stanford Public Health Office in Albuquerque
Santa Fe Public Health Office, Santa Fe
Roswell Public Health Office, Roswell
Dona Ana Public Health Office, Las Cruces
Farmington Public Health Office, Farmington
What other services are listed on NMHIVGuide.org?
NMHIVGuide.org is designed to link individuals with infectious disease services across New Mexico. This includes the full range of HIV services including testing, prevention programs, care and support. In addition, services are listed for other infectious diseases such as sexually transmitted diseases (STD) and hepatitis A, B and C. There is also a guide of harm reduction services, including syringe exchange, helpful to persons with or at risk of infectious diseases.
How does this site work, anyway?
NMHIVGuide.org is a searchable database of service providers specific to the fields of HIV viral hepatitis, sexually transmitted diseases and harm reduction. To search for a provider near you, go to the search page and enter your city and/or county, and check off any specific areas you're looking for help with. Parts of New Mexico are frankly rural; you may need to expand your search to your county alone, or the nearest large city to find a provider that serves your specific needs.
I can’t find what I’m looking for.
That's a hard question to answer. If you're not searching for a health-care provider who works with HIV, viral hepatitis, STDs or harm reduction, you're probably in the wrong website anyway. You could contact your local public health office or personal physician for a referral, or contact us, and we'll help you find what you need. Since our resource guide is still growing, we may have other resources not yet listed online.
I searched in my local area and nothing came up.
Try expanding your search to surrounding counties, or search by larger cities nearby. Or, reduce your search options; put in a city name, say, and omit the county. If you still can't find something suitable, get in touch with us and we'll help you out.
I tried calling a resource guide entry and it was the wrong number.
Send us a note letting us know which organization you tried calling. We'll try to get back to you with the correct number within two business days. We also appreciate your assistance in keeping the guide up to date!
