Office of HIV/AIDS & Viral Hepatitis

Protecting Partners

If you have tested positive for HIV, your first priority is to stay healthy. However, at some point you need to make plans to tell your partner(s) to get tested for HIV.

How do I tell my partner(s) about my HIV status?

Talking to your partner(s) about your HIV status is difficult for most people. Your health care provider can prepare you for talking to your partner(s) about HIV. In some cases, your health care provider will even talk to your partner(s) with you.

For a woman living in a domestic violence situation, talking about HIV or requesting a partner get tested could put you in further danger. Talk to your health care provider about this issue. For more information about keeping yourself safe, contact Donna Williams or Toni Wallace at the Sojourner House (401-861-6191).

If you decide you are not ready to notify your partner(s) or you need help, the Department of Health can talk to your partner(s) for you. The Department can notify your partner(s) that they may have been exposed to HIV. The Department will ensure that your partner(s) receive all crucial health information, testing, counseling, and referrals. To ensure confidentiality, the Department will never use your name and your partner(s) will not know how HIV exposure information was received.

Should my partner(s) get tested?

Yes. Anyone who may have been exposed to HIV needs to be tested. Testing is the only way to know if a partner has been infected.

If a partner decides to get tested for HIV, there are HIV testing sites throughout the state. Partners can also see their own health care provider to be tested.

If a partner decides not to get tested for HIV, there is no way of knowing if he/she has HIV. HIV testing is not required so no one can make a partner get tested. The best response is to try to protect your partner from becoming infected.

How do I protect my partner(s) from getting infected?

Regardless of your partner’s status, you should use condoms and not share needles. Even if both of you and your partner are HIV-positive, you need to protect each other from re-infection and giving each other different strains of the virus.

If your partner is pregnant, it is important that she get medical care as soon as possible. Treatment is available to lower the risk of passing HIV to the baby during the pregnancy or delivery.

What services are available for my partner(s)?

In addition to testing services, your health care provider can also tell you how to get partner counseling and referral services from the Department of Health. For more information on partner counseling service call Phil Barber at Partner Counseling and Referral Service at 401-265-0518.