Grindr Health

Resources to stay healthy and protected.

Grindr would like to be a resource for its users in staying healthy. Using this page you can find effective testing facilities or confidential online testing options so knowing ones status can be both attainable and easy. We would also like to offer up information to anyone suffering from or who knows someone suffering from substance abuse issues.

According to the GMHC, 280,885 of the estimated 732,514 people living with HIV/AIDS in 2007 were men who have sex with men and that number increases by an estimated 40,000+ each year. There are many steps you can take to avoid HIV/AIDS and other sexual transmitted diseases (aka STDs) but the first is to start protecting yourself during sexual encounters. We encourage you to explore the below information and links to learn the best way to protect both yourself and sexual partners. We would also like to offer up information to anyone suffering from or who knows someone suffering from substance abuse issues.

Grindr helped raise over $4,700 for APLA during AIDS Walk Los Angeles!

Get Tested

To quickly find a testing facility near you, please visit http://www.hivtest.org/

At-Home Testing

To learn more about confidential, at-home testing please watch the video below and visit GetSTDTested (http://getstdtested.com/).

Video: http://youtu.be/VJTBqNg7O2o

How to Protect Yourself
via the Center for Disease Control & Prevention
http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/brochures/at-risk.htm

The surest way to avoid transmission of sexually transmitted diseases is to abstain from sexual intercourse, or to be in a long-term mutually monogamous relationship with a partner who has been tested and you know is uninfected.
For persons whose sexual behaviors place them at risk for STDs, correct and consistent use of the male latex condom can reduce the risk of STD transmission. However, no protective method is 100 percent effective, and condom use cannot guarantee absolute protection against any STD. The more sex partners you have, the greater your chances are of getting HIV or other diseases passed through sex.
Condoms used with a lubricant are less likely to break. However, condoms with the spermicide nonoxynol-9 are not recommended for STD/HIV prevention. Condoms must be used correctly and consistently to be effective and protective. Incorrect use can lead to condom slippage or breakage, thus diminishing the protective effect. Inconsistent use, e.g., failure to use condoms with every act of intercourse, can result in STD transmission because transmission can occur with a single act of intercourse.
Don't share needles and syringes used to inject drugs, steroids, vitamins, or for tattooing or body piercing. Also, do not share equipment ("works") used to prepare drugs to be injected. Many people have been infected with HIV, hepatitis, and other germs this way. Germs from an infected person can stay in a needle and then be injected directly into the next person who uses the needle.
Don't share razors or toothbrushes because of they may have the blood of another person on them.

For additional information and resources please follow the links below:

AIDS Action Foundation
http://www.aidsaction.org

AIDS Institute
http://www.theaidsinstitute.org

AmFar
http://www.amfar.org

American Social Health Association (ASHA)
http://www.ashastd.org

Hepatitis Foundation International
http://www.hepfi.org

Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP)
http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/onap/

National Association of People Living With AIDS (NAPWA)
http://www.napwa.org

Substance Abuse Resources

According to the Pride Institute, "studies indicate that, when compared with the mainstream (heterosexual) population, LGBT people are more likely to use drugs, have higher rates of substance abuse, and are more likely to continue drug abuse into later life. Although LGBT people have been shown to use all types of drugs, certain drugs appear to be more popular in the LGBT community than in the mainstream community.

"Gay men, for example, are significantly more likely to have used marijuana, stimulants, sedatives, cocaine, and party drugs (ecstasy, ketamine, and GHB) than men in the general population. The use of crystal methamphetamine in gay and bisexual men has increased dramatically in recent years." Assistance in finding rehabilitation options can be found through the links listed below.

For additional information and resources please follow the links below:

The Pride Institute
http://pride-institute.com/

National Coalition for LGBT Health
http://lgbthealth.webolutionary.com

Gay & Lesbian Medical Association
http://www.glma.org/

The Fenway Institute
http://www.fenwayhealth.org

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention
http://www.cdc.gov/lgbthealth/links.htm

GMHC (Gay Men's Health Crisis)
http://gmhc.org/

Gay & Lesbian Alcoholics
http://gayalcoholics.com/

Lakeview Health Systems
http://www.lakeviewhealth.com/gay-lesbian-drug-alcohol-rehab-treatment-center.php

This site, or any information you may access via it, is not intended to replace professional health care advice. We strongly recommend that you discuss any issues concerning your health and treatment with your health care provider before taking action or relying on the information. Website visitors assume full responsibility for any actions taken on the basis of the information contained on this website and any sites we provide links for, and agree that Grindr bears no responsibility for any claim, loss or damage caused through its use.