HIV testing in Georgia, where to get tested, free options, what to expect
The number
2,200 new HIV diagnoses in Georgia in 2022, 71% among Black residents, all preventable with timely testing and linkage to PrEP.
Ryan White Part B
Georgia Department of Public Health, HIV/AIDS Epidemiology Section
State ADAP
Georgia AIDS Drug Assistance Program
Income cap 400% FPL
State PrEP-DAP
Georgia PrEP Assistance Program
Where to get tested in Georgia
58,000 people are living with HIV in Georgia, and 71% 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 Georgia: every county health department runs an STI / HIV testing clinic, and Georgia Department of Public Health, HIV/AIDS Epidemiology 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 Georgia HIV info line is 1-800-551-2728; 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 Grady Ponce de Leon Center (Emory Infectious Diseases Program) and THRIVE SS as the local institutions that show up consistently, both are listed below.
Grady Ponce de Leon Center (Emory Infectious Diseases Program). Emory's Ponce de Leon Center at Grady Hospital in Atlanta is the largest Ryan White-funded HIV clinic in the United States, serving more than 6,000 people living with HIV annually, over 80% Black, and hosting the CDC-funded Getting to Zero Atlanta implementation science program.
THRIVE SS. THRIVE SS is Atlanta's Black-gay-men-led HIV service organization, founded in 2015 at the Counter Narrative Project. THRIVE SS runs rapid testing, peer navigation, and the annual BLACKOUT HIV summit, the largest Black-queer-centered HIV convening in the South.
For Black families in Georgia
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 Georgia, 71% of new 2022 HIV diagnoses were among Black residents. That figure reflects unequal access to testing more than underlying risk: a Black person in Georgia 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 Georgia
Grady Ponce de Leon Center
Atlanta, GA • 1-404-616-2440
THRIVE SS
Atlanta, GA • 1-404-549-8455
Someone Cares Inc. of Atlanta
Marietta, GA • 1-770-919-1901
AID Atlanta — Spring Street Office
Atlanta, GA • 1-404-870-7700
Positive Impact Health Centers — Midtown
Atlanta, GA • 1-404-589-9040
Positive Impact Health Centers — Duluth
Duluth, GA • 1-404-589-9040
Fulton County Board of Health — Central STD/HIV Clinic
Atlanta, GA • 1-404-612-0884
DeKalb County Board of Health — Kirkwood Clinic
Atlanta, GA • 1-404-294-3700
SisterLove, Inc.
Atlanta, GA • 1-404-505-7777
Savannah Health Services — St. Joseph's/Candler
Savannah, GA • 1-912-819-4000
Where to get help in Georgia
- Georgia HIV info line: 1-800-551-2728, staff can find the nearest free testing site, schedule PrEP, or help enroll you in ADAP.
- Georgia Department of Public Health, HIV/AIDS Epidemiology Section landing page: https://dph.georgia.gov/hivaids.
- Federally Qualified Health Centers in Georgia: every FQHC offers sliding-scale HIV testing and has certified application counselors on staff. See our FQHC directory for the state at /clinics/ga/.
- State health data for Georgia: for state-level HIV mortality, maternal health, and life-expectancy context by race, see /health/georgia/.
- Georgia Medicaid: Medicaid is the largest single payer of HIV care in most states. See /medicaid/georgia/ 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
- Georgia Department of Public Health, HIV/AIDS Epidemiology Section: https://dph.georgia.gov/hivaids.
- 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/georgia/.
Data refreshed: