HIV Prevention Information

While significant advances have been made over the last two decades, HIV remains an epidemic affecting residents of Santa Clara County. The Public Health Department is committed to reducing the barriers to early HIV diagnosis and increasing access to quality medical care, treatment, and ongoing prevention services for those with an HIV diagnosis. 

One of the key strategies in responding to the ongoing HIV epidemic is making HIV testing a routine part of medical care:

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that one in seven people living with HIV do not know they are infected.
• ​People living with HIV can receive effective treatment, resulting in improved health and extended life, if their HIV infection is diagnosed earlier.

We are here to help! Together we can reduce the spread of HIV, and improve the lives of those living with HIV and AIDS.  

We provide free confidential and anonymous HIV testing at the Crane Center and its mobile sites, as well as by Alternate Test Site locations throughout the county. Additional testing locations can be found at HIVTest.org.
 

Resources   

Quality Management Plan by the Santa Clara County Public Health Department to help guide the process to determine a quality analysis of Ryan White Program efforts.   

The Quality Management Plan was developed with input from the HIV/AIDS service providers, as well as by community members. The Plan serves as a realistic approach to develop, and provide, high quality HIV/AIDS services. 

The American College of Physicians HIV Testing Guidelines ​(2009)

Recommends that clinicians adopt routine screening for HIV and encourage patients to be tested, and that clinicians determine the need for repeat testing on an individual basis. 

• Patients in all health-care settings should have HIV screening.
• Routine prenatal screening test panel should include HIV screening.
• Screen persons at high risk for HIV infection annually.
• Opt-out screening: tell patient they will receive an HIV test and the patient may decline.
• Include HIV testing contest in general consent for medical care; separate written consent for HIV testing should not be required.
• HIV screening programs in health-care settings should not require prevention counseling.
• Prevention counseling should not be required with HIV diagnostic testing.
   

National HIV/AIDS Clinicians Consultation Center 

A University of California San Francisco/San Francisco General Hospital-based AIDS Education and Training Centers clinical resource for health care professionals.​

We can also provide you with a variety of resources and referrals to help you integrate routine HIV testing into your practice. For additional information or to obtain resource materials, please contact STD/HIV Prevention and Control at [email protected]​ or call (408) 792-3732.