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Long Beach suspends free HIV and STI testing services, citing federal funding cuts
The Ron Arias Health Equity Center in Long Beach, pictured here, will no longer offer HIV and STI testing due to federal funding cuts.
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Courtesy City of Long Beach
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Topline:
Long Beach’s longtime free mobile testing clinic and many outreach programs will no longer be available to its residents, including 4,000 people living with HIV, effective immediately.
What’s being cut: The city’s health department said in a statement that it can no longer offer the following programs:
- Mobile Testing Unit, which provided free HIV/STI testing
- HIV and STI testing and treatment services located at the Ron Arias Health Equity Center (6335 Myrtle Ave.)
- STI/HIV outreach and engagement services, including PrEP/HIV prevention navigation services
- Sexual and Social Network, which provided outreach, education and testing to social and sexual networks of high-risk individuals
What’s staying: The department said its Sexual Health Clinic at 2525 Grand Ave. will remain open for walk-ins, though appointments are encouraged.
What Long Beach has to say: The city pointed to the success of its programs, which it said contributed to a 5.8% reduction in HIV rates from 2023 to 2024. It also said that it had reached a 70% rate of viral suppression among people with HIV in the city, meaning that they didn’t carry enough of the virus in their blood to transmit it to others.
Where people can go: Besides its Sexual Health Clinic, Long Beach has put together a list of other providers that continue to offer HIV and STI testing and treatment services. The city also has a webpage where residents can check which programs are affected by federal cuts.
Other agencies facing cuts: In May, Los Angeles County also faced a potential loss of funds for STI and HIV treatment and prevention. If the cuts had been implemented, the county would have had to terminate contracts with 39 community health agencies around the county. That funding was restored late last month.
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