Why Ask for An HIV Test? To Start the Conversation – and End an Epidemic
Experts with the Rutgers School of Nursing discuss how a community awareness campaign can help people in New Jersey
The only way to know your HIV status is to get tested – and knowing your status gives you power over your health.
By championing the simple phrase “Ask for an HIV Test,” experts with the Rutgers School of Nursing’s François-Xavier Bagnoud Center are encouraging individuals to advocate for their health. It’s a bold step toward ending the epidemic in New Jersey, one conversation at a time.
Jamie Steiger, executive director of the center, and Judith Collins, marketing manager, discuss the Ask for an HIV Test community awareness campaign and the importance of making HIV testing as routine as other activities.
What is the Ask for an HIV Test campaign?
Collins: Through a grant from the New Jersey Department of Health, the Ask for an HIV Test campaign was designed to build awareness about routine HIV testing. The campaign pairs images with supporting messages that emerged from community stakeholder meetings and consumer feedback discussions.
Some themes represented in the campaign include the blending of HIV testing with routine activities such as getting your nails done or a visit to the barber shop, prioritizing HIV testing as a self-care strategy that will bring peace of mind, dispelling misinformation and fear about HIV reminiscent of the 1980s and encouraging HIV testing with your partner or for your family member to promote trust and respect within any relationship.
The campaign is mostly digital and reaches our audience through Google, social media, dating apps, streaming platforms and more. It was launched in January 2026 and will continue through the end of June. So far, there have been over 11 million campaign impressions, and our audience is engaged, which means they are clicking on our ads to learn more about HIV testing on our campaign webpage at endhivnj.org/askforatest.
Why focus on HIV testing?
Steiger: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone ages 13 to 64 get tested at least once, yet it is estimated that 1 in 8 people with HIV in the United States don’t know their status. Through research and advocacy, we have achieved remarkable advances in the prevention and treatment of HIV. However, individual, structural and provider barriers to HIV testing persist. In response, New Jersey’s Integrated HIV Prevention and Care Plan prioritizes prevention and diagnosis of HIV and includes a goal to ensure that 100% of individuals living with HIV in New Jersey know their status so they can explore treatment options for improved health and reduce HIV transmission.
What do you hope to accomplish with the Ask for An HIV Test campaign?
Steiger: We hope to empower individuals to take the lead in their healthcare journeys. Success for the François-Xavier Bagnoud Center means breaking down the lingering walls of stigma and replacing them with a culture of proactive self-care and mutual respect. By encouraging people to advocate for themselves in the exam room and beyond, we aim to foster a community where knowing your HIV status is celebrated, and HIV testing is part of routine health care.
National HIV Testing Day is coming up on June 27. What steps can we all take within our own circles of friends and family to recognize this day?
Collins: We can lead by example by asking for an HIV test at our next health care visit and use transparency as a tool by talking openly about it.
