Partner Counseling and Referral Services (PCRS)
It is important to talk to your sexual and needle sharing partners about your HIV infection. However, some people are more comfortable than others in talking about their status. Stanislaus County Public Health Department is part of a nationwide program called PCRS, which stands for Partner Counseling and Referral Services. Through this program, a person has three options in disclosing their status to their sexual partners:

1. Tell them on their own, getting support and advice from the PCRS counselor.
2. The person can have a public health representative assist them in disclosing to their partners, present to give information and resources.
3. A person can choose third party notification. This is where a public health worker will inform a person anonymously that they have been exposed to HIV, with no mention of the name of the positive partner.

For more information about PCRS or to access this service, call 209-558-8052.

Strategies
There are many strategies that can be used to prepare yourself to disclose to a partner, friend or family member. Below you will find information on some helpful questions you may want to think about before you disclose to a person, and also some guidelines for disclosing.

Questions About People You May Want To Tell:

• What does he/she know about HIV/AIDS?
• What are her/his attitudes toward HIV/AIDS?
• What are her/his attitudes toward me?
• Can he/she keep a secret?
• Does she/he have someone she/he cares about who has HIV/AIDS?
• What would happen if this person didn’t keep my secret?
• Would this person try to harm me?
• How would I feel about sharing my secret with this person?
• Would this person be a support to me?
• Is sharing my secret with this person going to be a relief?

Guidelines for Disclosing:

• Decide where and when you want to tell him or her.
• Decide how you want to tell—letter, phone, face-to-face, with someone else there.
• Write out exactly what you want to say and practice saying it to yourself and a friend.
• Imagine yourself doing it.
• Imagine ahead of time how you could cope with different responses.
• Be honest and direct.
• Ask how the other person is feeling.
• Show that you understand.
• End with a discussion of the next step.