HIV testing in Colorado, where to get tested, free options, what to expect
The number
390 new HIV diagnoses in Colorado in 2022, 20% among Black residents, all preventable with timely testing and linkage to PrEP.
Ryan White Part B
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, STI/HIV Section
State ADAP
Colorado AIDS Drug Assistance Program (CO-ADAP)
Income cap 400% FPL
State PrEP-DAP
Colorado PrEP Assistance Program
Where to get tested in Colorado
14,400 people are living with HIV in Colorado, and 20% 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 Colorado: every county health department runs an STI / HIV testing clinic, and Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, STI/HIV 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 Colorado HIV info line is 1-303-692-2700; 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 Denver Health Infectious Diseases Clinic and Colorado Health Network as the local institutions that show up consistently, both are listed below.
Denver Health Infectious Diseases Clinic. The Denver Health ID Clinic is Colorado's largest Ryan White Part C site, serving nearly 4,000 people living with HIV, with a dedicated Black Women's HIV Navigation Program that emerged from 2019 community listening sessions.
Colorado Health Network. Colorado Health Network (formerly Colorado AIDS Project) operates the Ryan White Part B care coordination for the state, with offices in Denver, Colorado Springs, and Grand Junction and a rapid-testing program at the Denver Center on Speer Boulevard.
For Black families in Colorado
In Colorado, 20% of new 2022 HIV diagnoses were among Black residents. That figure reflects unequal access to testing more than underlying risk: a Black person in Colorado 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 Colorado
Denver Health Infectious Diseases Clinic
Denver, CO • 1-303-602-6000
Colorado Health Network — Denver Center
Denver, CO • 1-303-837-1501
Colorado Health Network — Colorado Springs Office
Colorado Springs, CO • 1-719-578-9092
Children's Hospital Colorado — Infectious Disease Clinic
Aurora, CO • 1-720-777-6839
The Center on Colfax LGBTQ Center — HIV Testing
Denver, CO • 1-303-733-7743
Where to get help in Colorado
- Colorado HIV info line: 1-303-692-2700, staff can find the nearest free testing site, schedule PrEP, or help enroll you in ADAP.
- Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, STI/HIV Section landing page: https://cdphe.colorado.gov/hiv-and-sti-programs.
- Federally Qualified Health Centers in Colorado: every FQHC offers sliding-scale HIV testing and has certified application counselors on staff. See our FQHC directory for the state at /clinics/co/.
- State health data for Colorado: for state-level HIV mortality, maternal health, and life-expectancy context by race, see /health/colorado/.
- Colorado Medicaid: Medicaid is the largest single payer of HIV care in most states. See /medicaid/colorado/ 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
- Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, STI/HIV Section: https://cdphe.colorado.gov/hiv-and-sti-programs.
- 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/colorado/.
Data refreshed: