Magnet

Welcome to Magnet

Magnet, our sexual health clinic in the Castro, provides STI testing and treatment, HIV testing and linkage to care, PrEP services, anal health services and more.

Magnet is located on the second floor at Strut, 470 Castro Street, San Francisco. Reach us at 415-581-1600.

Interested in Doxy PEP for prevention of STIs? Find more info here.

Hours of Operation

Magnet is open Tuesday – Saturday, 10 am – 7 pm. Closed Fridays, 1-3 pm.

Access Magnet Services

Service How to Access Services
Standard sexual health screen (SHS)

  • Full STI panel; nurse visit to discuss concerns, symptoms, exposure, and answer questions.
  • Preventative treatment for folks who have not been tested yet may be offered.
 Drop-in when Magnet is open (Tuesday – Saturday, 10 am – 7 pm; Closed Fridays 1-3 pm).

Limited availability; first-come, first served. In-person scheduling for same-day appointments.

Cannot be scheduled ahead of time over the phone or online.
Express STI testing (Magnet Express)

  • Full STI panel.
  • No nurse visit to review concerns
  • Folks with questions or concerns, symptoms, recent exposures, or who need same-day treatment should book a full sexual health screen (SHS) appointment.
 Drop-in when Magnet is open (Tuesday – Saturday, 10 am – 7 pm; closed Fridays 1-3 pm).

You will self-swab for STIs and a phlebotomist will draw your blood.

Visit will be 10 mins.
STI treatment

  • For people who have already been tested and have a positive test result.
  • If you need treatment, have symptoms, or don’t have a diagnosis, come in for a sexual health screen appointment.
 Book an appointment online, link sent by clinical team to people with a confirmed diagnosis.

If diagnosed at another clinic, call 415-581-1600 and press option #1 for info on appointment scheduling.
PrEP Enrollment (new clients)

  • Can be scheduled ahead of time online or over the phone.
 Make an appointment online.

Please note: If you’re having trouble finding an appointment time online that works for your schedule, please call us. We will try to find a time that works for you. 

Call 415-437-3450 or 415-581-1600, press option 1.

PrEP services not available for people with Kaiser, VA benefits, or Tricare.
Re-Start PrEP (previous Magnet clients)

  • Can be scheduled ahead of time online or over the phone.
 Call 415-437-3450 or 415-581-1600, press option 1.

Drop-in (first come, first serve).
PrEP Express Follow-Up Visit

  • Can be scheduled ahead of time online or over the phone.
 Drop-in when Magnet is open (Tuesday – Thursday, 10 am – 7 pm; Friday & Saturday, 10 am – 6:30 pm; closed Fridays, 1-3 pm)

Call 415-437-3450 to book in advance.
Get PEP

  • Can be scheduled ahead of time online or over the phone.
 Call 415-581-1600, select #3 to be connected to the nursing team. PEP services are dependent on staff availability.
Interim HIV care: Emergency HIV meds Call 415-437-3450 for an appointment; email assist4HIV@sfaf.org 
Health navigation or help with benefits related to HIV or PrEP care Call 415-437-3450 for an appointment; email assist4HIV@sfaf.org or prep@sfaf.org
Gender-affirming care (hormones & hormone level checks)

  • Can be scheduled ahead of time online or over the phone.
 Call 415-437-3456 for info or an appointment.
Hepatitis C treatment & care

  • Can be scheduled ahead of time online or over the phone.
 If you’ve been diagnosed with hepatitis C, call 415-350-2900 to discuss your options with a clinician and make an appointment.

 

About Drop-In Appointments

Drop-in instructions: Appointments are limited as our services are in high-demand. To book a same-day appointment, grab a ticket from the ticket machine outside the building starting at 9:30 am each day, and come back at 10 am when we open. If you aren’t back at 10 am or if you lose your number, we will give your spot to the next person. 

Getting a ticket does not guarantee there will be an appointment available on the same day. If you arrive without an appointment and we are booked, we will do our best to refer you to another sexual health provider in the area, but cannot guarantee their availability. 

We do not schedule ahead of time for screenings unless you have already tested and have a positive test result, or you are in our PrEP program and are due for a refill on your prescription.

Request your medical records

There are three ways to receive your medical record from Magnet. 

  1. You can find your medical records in the Patient Portal.
  2. We can provide your records in-person at Magnet. You must have a government issued photo ID and sign a release of information form. We will do our best to provide your records promptly but we may ask for additional time to provide the records depending on the availability of staff to copy your records.
  3. We can email or securely mail your records to you. Email medicalrecords@sfaf.org to make a request.

Please allow for 24-48 business hours for a medical records requests to be completed. If you are requesting medical records from year 2017 and earlier it may take 5-7 business days to be completed.  

Additional Info About Our Services

Sexual Health & Testing HIV, hep C & STI testing; linkage to treatment, anal health care, hormone level checks, pregnancy tests & more   HIV & STI Testing Free testing for HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) at multiple locations across San Francisco   STI Treatment Get care for syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, vaginal candidiasis, bacterial vaginosis, trichomoniasis and more   PrEP & PEP Highly effective HIV prevention medication with benefits navigation and insurance support    Condoms & Safer Sex Supplies Free internal and external condoms, lube, dental dams and other safer sex supplies    Anal Health Treatments for anal fissures & anal warts, testing for rectal STIs and info about butt health topics   TransCare Services Hormone level checks, social support, PrEP services and more for trans, non-binary, genderqueer, and GNC.   Vaccinations We offer free vaccinations and immunizations, effective ways to prevent the transmission of serious diseases.  
Get your test results & make appointments through our online client portal. If you have not activated your client portal, please call the services navigation team at 415-581-1600 to have it turned on.
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"I've been to a lot of different places to test and out of them all I really love Magnet and particularly this location in Castro. The counselors are sweethearts and they are very nice and professional here. It's very conveniently located.”
Krishna V.

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Number of unique Magnet clients served in Fiscal Year 2019

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Number of HIV tests provided in Fiscal Year 2018

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Estimated percentage of PrEP provided in San Francisco through our program

Meet Our Team

Jasmin Alvarez, CPT 1

Director, Clinical Operations

Spanish

Pronouns: She/her/hers
415-437-3409
jalvarez@sfaf.org
Read Bio

Spanish

Pronouns: She/her/hers
415-437-3409 jalvarez@sfaf.org

Jasmin Alvarez, CPT 1

Director, Clinical Operations

Jasmin Alvarez is the director of clinical operations at San Francisco AIDS Foundation, joining first in 2015 as a lab technician. Jasmin was born and raised in the Bay Area and has deep roots in the heart of the Mission where she grew up. Having lived in a Latinx Community most of her life, she has experienced health disparities firsthand with herself, her family, and her friends. That’s one reason why she advocates for marginalized communities and has a passion for health rights.

Working in laboratory fields, Jasmin makes connections with clients by listening to their stories, experiencing and the challenges they face every day just to take care of themselves. Their stories are the drive and passion behind her work. When she’s not working to dismantle racism and misogyny in the workplace, Jasmin is kept busy by her two loving dogs who would do anything for a tennis ball.

Joshua Bruce

Services Navigator

Pronouns: He/him/they/them

Adrian Cano

Lab Technician

Pronouns: He/him/his

Leo Dominguez

PrEP & HIV Benefits Coordinator & Linkage Navigator

Pronouns: They/them/theirs

Sugar Edwards

Lab Technician

Pronouns: She/her/hers

Alton Lou

PrEP & HIV Benefits Coordinator & Linkage Navigator

Rikki Montoya

Medical Assistant - Clinical Research

Pronouns: He/him/they/them

Cantwell Muckenfuss

Administrative Services Manager

Pronouns: They/them/theirs

Heidi Ortiz

Lead PrEP & HIV Benefits Coordinator & Linkage Navigator

Spanish

Pronouns: She/her/hers
415-437-3450
prep@sfaf.org

Ashakie Phillips

Nurse Practitioner

Pronouns: She/her/hers

Jorge Roman, RN, MSN, FNP-BC, AAHIVS

Senior Director, Clinical Services

Spanish

Pronouns: He/him/his
Read Bio

Spanish

Pronouns: He/him/his

Jorge Roman, RN, MSN, FNP-BC, AAHIVS

Senior Director, Clinical Services

Jorge Roman oversees clinical services at Magnet, the sexual health clinic at San Francisco AIDS Foundation. Passionate about health care delivery for clients living with HIV and HIV PrEP, Jorge came to SFAF in 2019. Prior to that, he worked at OLE Health where he led efforts for LGBT inclusion and culturally appropriate care.

Jorge holds a Bachelor of Science (BS) from the University of California, San Diego, and a BS and a Master of Science from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. Jorge is passionate about bringing health equity through health care delivery that focuses on BIPOC communities. Jorge lives in Sonoma with his partner of over 20 years and beagle Tucker.

Jonathon Salinas

Lead PrEP & HIV Benefits Coordinator & Linkage Navigator

Spanish

Pronouns: He/him/his
415-437-3450
prep@sfaf.org

Fatima Ticas

Laboratory Services Manager

Pronouns: She/her/hers

DO I NEED A FULL SEXUAL HEALTH EXAM?

If you think you might have symptoms, want to talk to a clinician, are a new client, or have been exposed to an STI, you’ll need a full sexual health visit. You can make an appointment online or walk-in for a same-day appointment.

WHEN DO I GET TEST RESULTS?

Results are available 10 business days after your visit. Please do not come back for results before this waiting period. Results of rapid HIV tests are given the same day.

If any of your tests come back positive, we will contact you and ask you to come back for treatment.

Individuals with negative test results are not contacted. You will be able to see your test results in your online patient portal.

I MAY HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO HIV IN THE LAST 72 HOURS. DO I NEED PEP?

For people who have potentially been exposed to HIV in the previous 72 hours, we offer full Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) services with a full month of the medication provided for free. PEP should be considered if you were sexually assaulted, if you were stuck by a needle or if you shared injection drug use equipment with someone of an unknown HIV status, or if you had a condom break or you had condomless anal sex with a person of unknown HIV status or someone with a detectable HIV viral load. People with undetectable viral loads do not transmit HIV.

If you think you need PEP, call us at 415-581-1600 before coming to Magnet so that we can be sure that we can see you. If we are unable to see you, we can refer you to another clinic for PEP. PEP should be taken as soon as possible and within 72 hours after the potential HIV exposure. Every hour counts. Do not wait – call us right away.