HIV testing in Delaware — where to get tested, free options, what to expect
The number
130 new HIV diagnoses in Delaware in 2022, 56% among Black residents — all preventable with timely testing and linkage to PrEP.
Ryan White Part B
Delaware Division of Public Health, HIV Program
State ADAP
Delaware AIDS Drug Assistance Program (DE-ADAP)
Income cap 500% FPL
State PrEP-DAP
Delaware PrEP Assistance Program
Where to get tested in Delaware
3,700 people are living with HIV in Delaware, and 56% 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 Delaware: every county health department runs an STI / HIV testing clinic, and Delaware Division of Public Health, HIV Program 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 Delaware HIV info line is 1-302-744-1050; 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 Christiana Care Center for HIV Wellness and AIDS Delaware as the local institutions that show up consistently — both are listed below.
Christiana Care Center for HIV Wellness. The Christiana Care Center for HIV Wellness in Wilmington serves roughly two-thirds of Delaware's people living with HIV and is the state's only Ryan White Part C grantee; its Wilmington campus hosts the state HIV mortality review board.
AIDS Delaware. AIDS Delaware, based in Wilmington with satellites in Dover and Georgetown, operates Delaware's Part B case-management contract, distributes free home-test kits statewide, and hosts annual Black HIV Awareness Day events on February 7.
For Black families in Delaware
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 Delaware, 56% of new 2022 HIV diagnoses were among Black residents. That figure reflects unequal access to testing more than underlying risk: a Black person in Delaware 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 Delaware
Christiana Care Center for HIV Wellness
Newark, DE • 1-302-733-3300
AIDS Delaware — Wilmington Office
Wilmington, DE • 1-302-652-6776
AIDS Delaware — Dover Office
Dover, DE • 1-302-652-6776
Delaware Division of Public Health — Porter State Service Center
Wilmington, DE • 1-302-744-4700
Where to get help in Delaware
- Delaware HIV info line: 1-302-744-1050 — staff can find the nearest free testing site, schedule PrEP, or help enroll you in ADAP.
- Delaware Division of Public Health, HIV Program landing page: https://dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/dpc/hivprev.html.
- Federally Qualified Health Centers in Delaware: every FQHC offers sliding-scale HIV testing and has certified application counselors on staff. See our FQHC directory for the state at /clinics/de/.
- State health data for Delaware: for state-level HIV mortality, maternal health, and life-expectancy context by race, see /health/delaware/.
- Delaware Medicaid: Medicaid is the largest single payer of HIV care in most states. See /medicaid/delaware/ 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
- Delaware Division of Public Health, HIV Program: https://dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/dpc/hivprev.html.
- 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/delaware/.
Data refreshed: