The U Street Wellness Center will add a third AIDS Healthcare Foundation facility in Washington, D.C., offering free and reduced-cost STI and HIV testing, treatment, and prevention services at 1115 U Street, N.W. The center is set to open to the public on November 17; AHF cut the ribbon last Friday.
AHF describes itself as the world's largest HIV/AIDS healthcare organization. The Washington Blade reported that the foundation says it provides care and advocacy to more than 3.2 million individuals across 50 countries. A separate AHF location page lists a different, lower figure — more than 1.75 million clients across 45 countries — so the exact global reach cited varies depending on which AHF source is consulted.
In the Blade's account of the ribbon-cutting, AHF President Michael Weinstein said the organization sought to bring its wellness-center model to the area and chose U Street to be close to the neighborhood's activity. D.C. Council member Brianne Nadeau, who represents Ward 1, said the new facility provides important community access. Edwardo Perdoma, director of the D.C. Mayor's Office of Latino Affairs, also attended the ceremony.
What the New Clinic Will Offer
AHF says the center plans to operate Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Planned services include STI testing and treatment for gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia, and HIV, along with access to PrEP and other HIV treatment medications. The center also plans to distribute free condoms and provide STI prevention and education services. Many offerings will be free or at a reduced cost, including access to AHF's nonprofit pharmacy services.
The planned services are consistent with AHF's broader Wellness Center model. AHF says the centers offer free STI and HIV testing, counseling, condoms, PEP and PrEP, and linkage to treatment, and welcome walk-ins with no appointment necessary. AHF says its U.S. network includes 35 Wellness Centers across 13 states plus Washington, D.C., with 12 more operating in five countries abroad, part of a broader footprint the foundation says spans the U.S., Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific, and Eastern Europe.
A Third D.C. Location, Steps From Nightlife
The U Street site joins AHF's existing D.C. healthcare center at 1701 K Street, N.W., Suite 400, and its Capitol Hill location at 650 Pennsylvania Avenue, S.E., Suite 380. The Blade reported that at least six LGBTQ bars are within walking distance of the new facility, placing testing and prevention resources near the U Street nightlife district.
Context From D.C. Health's Surveillance Data
D.C. Health separately compiles an annual epidemiology and surveillance report covering HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis, STI, and TB trends citywide, produced by the agency's Strategic Information Division. The most recent edition of that report contains data through December 2024, though no specific case counts or rates from it were detailed in connection with the new center's opening.
Existing Services and What the Data Show
The District of Columbia Department of Health’s surveillance report says the District recorded 192 new HIV cases, the first time its count had fallen below 200 since the 1990s. That is a citywide figure and does not establish neighborhood-specific need around U Street.
Other local testing options include the DC Health and Wellness Center at 77 P St. NE, which the CDC’s testing locator lists as requiring an appointment. Whitman-Walker Health says its routine CTRS sexual-health testing visits are free for people without symptoms or an STI exposure.
