HIV testing in Arkansas — where to get tested, free options, what to expect
The number
290 new HIV diagnoses in Arkansas in 2022, 55% among Black residents — all preventable with timely testing and linkage to PrEP.
Ryan White Part B
Arkansas Department of Health, HIV/STD/Hepatitis C Section
State ADAP
Arkansas AIDS Drug Assistance Program
Income cap 500% FPL
State PrEP-DAP
Not operated; federal Ready Set PrEP applies
Where to get tested in Arkansas
6,500 people are living with HIV in Arkansas, and 55% of new diagnoses in 2022 were among Black residents. Getting tested is the first step — the CDC recommends at least one HIV test for every adult 13-64, and annual testing for anyone sexually active with more than one partner or injecting drugs. Rapid tests return results in about 20 minutes from a fingerstick; laboratory tests take a few days but catch infections sooner after exposure (as early as 10 days with a nucleic-acid test).
Where to test for free in Arkansas: every county health department runs an STI / HIV testing clinic, and Arkansas Department of Health, HIV/STD/Hepatitis C Section contracts with community-based organizations to operate walk-in rapid testing with evening and Saturday hours. No ID or insurance is required at these sites. Confidentiality is protected — state law requires public-health HIV testing results to stay out of your medical record unless you authorize release, and anonymous testing (no name collected) is available at most community sites.
What to expect: a pre-test conversation about risk and what a positive result would mean, the test itself (either fingerstick or blood draw), and post-test counseling. If the rapid test is reactive, the counselor draws blood for a confirmatory Western blot or antigen/antibody test. If you're positive, you'll be linked to a Ryan White Part C clinic for same-week HIV primary care and ADAP enrollment if you qualify by income.
The Arkansas HIV info line is 1-501-661-2408; staff can point you to the nearest free testing site, schedule PrEP, and help you navigate insurance or no-insurance options. Long-time Black residents name Arkansas AIDS Foundation and UAMS Infectious Diseases Clinic as the local institutions that show up consistently — both are listed below.
Arkansas AIDS Foundation. The Arkansas AIDS Foundation in Little Rock is the state's Ryan White Part B case-management grantee and operates a walk-in rapid-testing clinic on West Asher Avenue with evening and Saturday hours targeted at working-age Black men.
UAMS Infectious Diseases Clinic. The UAMS Infectious Diseases Clinic in Little Rock is Arkansas's largest Ryan White Part C site, operating the Delta AIDS Education and Training Center which trains primary-care providers across the Delta counties where Black HIV burden is highest.
For Black families in Arkansas
The South carries the heaviest HIV burden in the country: Black Southern residents make up roughly 14% of the U.S. population but account for more than half of new Black HIV diagnoses nationally. In Arkansas, 55% of new 2022 HIV diagnoses were among Black residents. That figure reflects unequal access to testing more than underlying risk: a Black person in Arkansas waits longer for an HIV diagnosis on average than a white peer, and late diagnoses translate directly into later treatment starts and worse outcomes. The community organizations listed below — particularly those flagged as Black-community anchors on the directory — operate rapid-testing sites specifically designed to close that wait-time gap.
Named HIV testing + PrEP sites in Arkansas
Arkansas AIDS Foundation
Little Rock, AR • 1-501-663-7833
UAMS Infectious Diseases Clinic
Little Rock, AR • 1-501-686-5000
Arkansas Department of Health Pulaski County Health Unit
Little Rock, AR • 1-501-280-3100
Living Affected Corporation Delta Outreach
Jonesboro, AR • 1-870-932-6262
Washington County Health Unit (Fayetteville)
Fayetteville, AR • 1-479-521-8181
Where to get help in Arkansas
- Arkansas HIV info line: 1-501-661-2408 — staff can find the nearest free testing site, schedule PrEP, or help enroll you in ADAP.
- Arkansas Department of Health, HIV/STD/Hepatitis C Section landing page: https://www.healthy.arkansas.gov/programs-services/topics/hiv-std-hepatitis-c-section.
- Federally Qualified Health Centers in Arkansas: every FQHC offers sliding-scale HIV testing and has certified application counselors on staff. See our FQHC directory for the state at /clinics/ar/.
- State health data for Arkansas: for state-level HIV mortality, maternal health, and life-expectancy context by race, see /health/arkansas/.
- Arkansas Medicaid: Medicaid is the largest single payer of HIV care in most states. See /medicaid/arkansas/ for eligibility + enrollment.
- CDC NPIN testing-site finder: gettested.cdc.gov accepts a zip code and returns every free + low-cost HIV testing site within 50 miles.
References & primary sources
- Arkansas Department of Health, HIV/STD/Hepatitis C Section: https://www.healthy.arkansas.gov/programs-services/topics/hiv-std-hepatitis-c-section.
- CDC HIV Surveillance Report 2022: cdc.gov/hiv/library/reports/hiv-surveillance.html. Source for state-level new diagnoses and race-stratified counts.
- HRSA HIV/AIDS Bureau, Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program grantee list: ryanwhite.hrsa.gov/grants/part-b.
- NASTAD ADAP Monitoring Project 2024 Annual Report: nastad.org/adap-monitoring-project. Source for ADAP income cap + enrollment + PrEP-DAP data.
- AIDSVu state profile: aidsvu.org/state/arkansas/.
Data refreshed: