HIV testing in Louisiana — where to get tested, free options, what to expect
The number
990 new HIV diagnoses in Louisiana in 2022, 69% among Black residents — all preventable with timely testing and linkage to PrEP.
Ryan White Part B
Louisiana Department of Health, STD/HIV/Hepatitis Program
State ADAP
Louisiana Drug Assistance Program (LADAP)
Income cap 400% FPL
State PrEP-DAP
Louisiana PrEP Access Program
Where to get tested in Louisiana
23,100 people are living with HIV in Louisiana, and 69% 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 Louisiana: every county health department runs an STI / HIV testing clinic, and Louisiana Department of Health, STD/HIV/Hepatitis 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 Louisiana HIV info line is 1-504-568-7474; 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 CrescentCare and Priority Health Care as the local institutions that show up consistently — both are listed below.
CrescentCare. CrescentCare (formerly NO/AIDS Task Force) in New Orleans is Louisiana's largest HIV service organization and an FQHC, serving about 4,800 people living with HIV across Orleans, Jefferson, and St. Bernard parishes with integrated primary care, PrEP, and ADAP fulfillment.
Priority Health Care. Priority Health Care in Marrero, Louisiana, is a Black-owned Ryan White Part B contractor and FQHC serving the West Bank with integrated HIV primary care, hepatitis C co-infection treatment, and a specialized program for Black trans women.
For Black families in Louisiana
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 Louisiana, 69% of new 2022 HIV diagnoses were among Black residents. That figure reflects unequal access to testing more than underlying risk: a Black person in Louisiana 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 Louisiana
CrescentCare — Elysian Fields Clinic
New Orleans, LA • 1-504-821-2601
CrescentCare — Midtown Clinic
New Orleans, LA • 1-504-821-2601
Priority Health Care — Marrero
Marrero, LA • 1-504-309-2023
Philadelphia Center — Shreveport
Shreveport, LA • 1-318-222-2437
HAART (HIV/AIDS Alliance for Region Two) — Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge, LA • 1-225-927-2273
LSU HIV Outpatient Program (HOP) Clinic
New Orleans, LA • 1-504-412-1400
Where to get help in Louisiana
- Louisiana HIV info line: 1-504-568-7474 — staff can find the nearest free testing site, schedule PrEP, or help enroll you in ADAP.
- Louisiana Department of Health, STD/HIV/Hepatitis Program landing page: https://ldh.la.gov/subhome/15.
- Federally Qualified Health Centers in Louisiana: every FQHC offers sliding-scale HIV testing and has certified application counselors on staff. See our FQHC directory for the state at /clinics/la/.
- State health data for Louisiana: for state-level HIV mortality, maternal health, and life-expectancy context by race, see /health/louisiana/.
- Louisiana Medicaid: Medicaid is the largest single payer of HIV care in most states. See /medicaid/louisiana/ 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
- Louisiana Department of Health, STD/HIV/Hepatitis Program: https://ldh.la.gov/subhome/15.
- 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/louisiana/.
Data refreshed: