GET TESTED
When did you last get tested?
You don’t need symptoms, or a particular reason to get tested. Whatever your circumstances, HIV testing can be part of your regular sexual health routine, along with STI testing.
If clinics aren’t your thing, or GetaKit offers free HIV self-tests anywhere in Ontario, shipped discreetly to you. It’s a good option if getting to a clinic isn’t easy, you have privacy or transportation concerns, clinic hours don’t work for you, or you’d simply rather test yourself.
FIND PrEP
Curious about PrEP?
PrEP is medication that prevents HIV. When taken as prescribed, it’s highly effective. Regardless of your level of sexual activity, wanting PrEP is a good enough reason to start the conversation.
Maybe condoms aren’t always part of the sex you’re having, or you’re not always sure about your partners’ HIV status. PrEP offers another way to consistently prevent HIV, whether you take it via a daily pill or injectable version. Talk with a PrEP provider about what might work best for you.
- Worried about cost? PrEP may cost you little or nothing at all. In Ontario, PrEP medication may be covered through OHIP+, Ontario Works, ODSP, the Trillium Drug Program, employer or school benefits, and other public or private drug plans.
- No drug coverage? PrEPStart, a program from the Ontario HIV Treatment Network, can provide three months of free PrEP to eligible people while you and your provider figure out longer-term coverage.
- Prefer virtual care? You can get PrEP without having a local PrEP provider or family doctor. The PrEP Clinic and Freddie provide virtual PrEP care across Ontario and can help with testing, prescriptions and drug coverage.
FIND VIRTUAL PrEP | LEARN ABOUT PrEP
Find testing & PrEP in Northern Ontario
| Area | Testing & PrEP | Community Services |
| Thunder Bay & Northwestern Ontario | Elevate NWO: HIV testing and PrEP, including injectable PrEP. TBDHU: STI and anonymous/rapid HIV testing. HART Hub: PrEP access. | Elevate NWO |
| Algoma Public Health: STI and standard, rapid and anonymous HIV testing. HARP PrEP Clinic: local PrEP appointments. | HARP: HIV & AIDS Resource Program | |
| Sudbury & Districts | Public Health: STI and anonymous HIV testing. Réseau ACCESS Gay/Bi/MSM Clinic: HIV/STI testing and PrEP initiation. | Réseau ACCESS Network |
| North Bay Region | North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit: HIV/STI testing and PrEP through its Sexual Health Clinic. | AIDS Committee of North Bay & Area (ACNBA) |
Not near one of these services? You can still order a free HIV self-test through GetaKit, access PrEP virtually, or use our service finder to see what’s available near you.
PEP
Think you may have been exposed to HIV in the last 72 hours?
There’s something you can do. PEP can prevent HIV after a possible exposure, but it needs to be started as soon as possible and no later than 72 hours after a sexual encounter.
Don’t wait for an HIV test. Contact a healthcare provider, sexual health service or emergency department and ask about PEP.
Talking about sexual health can and should be a healthy part of hooking up. Apps help us meet, flirt, cruise, date and hook up. They can also give us a chance to talk about sexual health and what works for us. PrEP, condoms, testing, HIV treatment and U=U (Undetectable = Untransmittable) can all be part of looking after your and your communities’ sexual health.
There’s no single “right” way to have sex. With access to regular testing, PrEP, and PEP, you get to decide what works for you and prioritize your sexual health.
