PrEP for UPMC Patients in Central Pa.

It’s Your Life – PrEPare For It!

Reduce your risk of contracting HIV and take charge of your life! Speak with a PrEP Navigator about Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP). You could get on PrEP in as little as one visit!

REACCH is offering PrEP Navigation Services to insured and uninsured patients. PrEP Navigation Services assists insured patients in applying for medication financial assistance programs that will allow them to pick up their PrEP medication from their pharmacy at little to no cost to them.

For uninsured patients, PrEP Navigation Services covers the costs of PrEP visits, lab work and, if needed, STI treatment. The PrEP Navigator can work with these uninsured patients to access medication financial assistance programs that will allow them to secure their PrEP medication from their pharmacy at little to no cost.

PrEP Navigators also assist patients in addressing other barriers to medication accessibility and adherence.

PrEP services are for anyone who:

has a partner living with HIV and is considering getting pregnant
is in an ongoing sexual relationship with a partner living with HIV
has had more than one sexual partner in the past 6 months and doesn't always use condoms
has tested positive for a sexually transmitted infection (STI) such as chlamydia or gonorrhea in the past 6 months
injects drugs or shares needs, syringes, or other equipment to inject drugs
has a partner whose HIV status is unknown

Need more information?

Office: 717-782-6410
Cell: 717-210-8531
stieml@upmc.edu

FAQs about PrEP for Patients

What is PrEP?

PrEP is short for pre-exposure prophylaxis. PrEP is prescription medication taken by people who do not have HIV to protect against HIV infection. Like birth control, PrEP is taken once a day to help make sex safer.
Truvada was the first drug approved for use as PrEP for both all people at risk through sex and injection drug use by the Food & Drug Administration in 2012. In 2019, a second drug, Descovy, was approved by the FDA for people at risk through sex, except for people assigned female at birth.
Both forms of PrEP are highly effective when taken as prescribed.

Who is PrEP for?

PrEP is for anyone who wants added protection against HIV. Your healthcare provider can help you decide if PrEP is a good fit for you. Some things to consider: how often you (and/or your partners) use condoms; whether you know the HIV status of your partners and if they are on ongoing treatment; and/or whether you have recently had any sexually transmitted infections (STIs). If you or your partner use injection drugs, PrEP may also help protect against HIV.
If you are considering getting pregnant and concerned about HIV, talk with your doctor about PrEP. PrEP may be an option to help protect you and your baby from getting HIV while you try to get pregnant, during pregnancy, or while breastfeeding.

How effective is PrEP?

According to the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), daily PrEP reduces the risk of getting HIV from sex by more than 99 percent. Among people who inject drugs, PrEP reduces the risk of getting HIV by more than 74 percent when used consistently.
Some studies have shown even higher effectiveness with consistent PrEP use among gay and bisexual men, and transgender women.
While PrEP is highly effective in preventing HIV, it does not protect against other STIs. To prevent gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and other common STIs, use condoms.
PrEP must be taken for some time before it reaches maximum effectiveness.

Is PrEP safe?

PrEP can cause side effects however, PrEP is generally well tolerated. If you experience any side effects, please discuss them with your medical provider.

How quickly does PrEP start working?

PrEP must be taken for some time before exposure to HIV to be effective. According to the CDC, PrEP reaches maximum protection from HIV through receptive anal sex after about 7 days of daily use. For receptive vaginal sex and injection drug use, the CDC estimates that PrEP reaches maximum protection after about 21 days of daily use. To maintain maximum effectiveness, PrEP should be taken every day as prescribed.

What about condoms?

While highly effective at protecting against HIV, PrEP does not protect against other STIs. Condoms are an easily accessible, highly effective means of preventing the sexual transmission of HIV and many other STIs. Condoms are also the only method of protection that prevents both pregnancy and disease. To be effective, condoms must be used correctly and consistently.

If PrEP is so great – why isn’t everyone taking it?

PrEP has been known for being expensive and difficult to access. Things have changed in recent years as more programs are seeing the benefits of prevention. There are financial assistance programs and services that can help patients get PrEP. REACCH offers PrEP Navigation Services to insured and uninsured patients to assist them in getting and staying on PrEP with little to no cost.

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