By: Deb LeBel, Partnership Director, HIV.gov
As part of its National HIV Testing Day activities, JSI and its partner ICF have rolled out a new version of the HIV Testing and Care Services Locator on HIV.gov. The updated locator incorporates critical HIV prevention, care, and treatment information from multiple U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Departments, offices, and agencies and provides:
- additional information on where to get pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)
- additional information on sexually transmitted infection services
- an improved widget which will easily update the locator on nearly any website or blog
- an updated interface with separate map and list views
- additional details about testing
- mobile-friendly features including responsive design and a progressive web application
- easy-to-read details and descriptions and ability to toggle between viewing options.
The previous locator
The Health and Human Services Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy (OIDP) conceptualized this resource in 2009. OIDP, its federal partners, JSI, and ICF collaborated on the first version of the HIV Testing and Care Services Locator, which allowed users to search for HIV-related services, including HIV testing, care, and treatment in Ryan White clinics and community health centers; and family planning, housing, mental health, and substance use treatment services in communities across the United States. Since then, people searching for HIV services have used the locator more than 51 million times. National and AIDS service organizations also use the locator and many have embedded it in their websites to help people in their communities find the HIV-related services they need to live long and healthy lives.
Why update the locator?
Advances in technology, biomedical interventions, and public perception, including FDA approval of PrEP, provided the impetus for updating the locator. New scientific insight affirms that people who live with HIV, take medication as prescribed, and maintain an undetectable viral load have almost no risk of sexually transmitting HIV to people who do not have it. Care and prevention providers are dedicating more resources to strengthen links to care among newly diagnosed individuals, connect people to prevention services, and expose social determinants of health. The HIV community has added more national health observance days to communicate the importance of HIV-related services. Recently, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force published final, Grade A recommendations that clinicians screen everyone ages 15 to 65 years and all pregnant people for HIV. The task force also recommends that clinicians offer PrEP to people who are at high risk of HIV. The HIV.gov team recognized the need to reflect these changes to the HIV landscape in an updated locator tool.
About HIV.gov
As a program of OIDP, HIV.gov aims to expand the visibility of federal HIV policies, programs, and resources, and to convey information about HIV and access to services to people who are most at-risk for or living with HIV. A critical member of the HIV.gov team since 2006, JSI works to amplify policy and programmatic information through digital communication tools and strategies. Our team shares timely content through the HIV.gov website, our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram platforms, and through collaboration with staff working on HIV policies and programs in federal departments and agencies. Read HIV.gov’s recent blog to learn more about the locator and the widget.
