Breaking Down Barriers: PrEP Accessibility
January 19, 2019
Services
DO IT: One Pill. Daily.
Did you know we can stop the spread of HIV with a single pill? PrEP is a once-a-day HIV prevention pill that is up to 99% effective when taken regularly. So, do it daily – be a PrEP advocate so we can prevent the transmission of HIV in our community. For more information or to get started on PrEP, contact us at 317-510-6473 or email us at [email protected].
Deep Dive: What is PrEP?
Whether you are a gay or bisexual man, transgender man or woman, IV drug user, or heterosexual man or women – PrEP works. Starting in 2012, the drug Truvada was approved by the FDA as a PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) medication to prevent the spread of HIV. The success of PrEP has been shown in multiple studies, including the iPrEx trial, Partners PrEP, TDF2, and the Bangkok Tenofovir Study.
In addition to PrEP, there is a post-exposure medication called PEP (Post-Exposure Prophylaxis). Unlike PrEP which is taken before potential HIV exposure, PEP is an emergency prevention tool that can be started within a 72-hour window to HIV exposure. Every hour counts – the sooner an individual can start PEP, the better. PEP is taken twice daily for 28 days following exposure. While it is effective, it is not 100% successful at preventing HIV. To learn more, visit our PEP page.
Since the arrival of HIV prevention medication, at-risk populations continue to face several barriers to accessing this method of prevention. PrEP quickly earned a reputation as something that was only attainable by those with insurance or by those who could pay the large out-of-pocket cost. This became an evident barrier that prevented many individuals, sometimes the people with the greatest risk for contracting HIV, from obtaining it.
Breaking Down Barriers
Through the combined efforts of lobbyists, healthcare providers, public advocates, and Gilead, PrEP has not only become accepted by more insurance providers but embraced. PrEP is now attainable for a large portion of insured Americans. Even more so, PrEP has become increasingly available for uninsured individuals as well. Organizations such as The Damien Center have worked to break down barriers to accessing the pill – ensuring the most vulnerable and at-risk populations have access to this effective prevention method.
Even though we still face an uphill battle with PrEP funding, more resources are now available to remove financial barriers towards starting PrEP. We have doubled down on our outreach to affected populations to better serve anyone who may be at-risk for HIV. With a growing list of available resources to close gaps in coverage, The Damien Center can confidently say that we strive to make PrEP accessible to anyone – regardless of their financial situation.
Get Connected
The Damien Center is proud to be recognized as one of the largest PrEP referrers in Indiana. In addition to our PrEP services, we offer many other forms of HIV Prevention such as medical and social interventions, testing, and counseling.
With preventative methods such as PrEP and PEP available to the public and breakthroughs such as U=U (Undetectable=Untransmittable), HIV is preventable.
For more information on The Damien Center’s HIV prevention services or to get started on PrEP, contact us at 317-510-6473 or email us at [email protected].
Additional Prevention Resources
https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/basics...
