Here at New Hope we are proud to offer prophylactic medication therapy, sex education and sexually transmitted infection evaluations & testing.
What is PrEP?
Pre-exposure prophylaxis (or PrEP) is when people at very high risk for HIV take HIV medicines daily to lower their chances of getting infected. A combination of two HIV medicines (tenofovir and emtricitabine), sold under the name Truvada® (pronounced tru vá duh), is approved for daily use as PrEP to help prevent an HIV-negative person from getting HIV from a sexual or injection-drug-using partner who’s positive. Studies have shown that PrEP is highly effective for preventing HIV if it is used as prescribed. PrEP is much less effective when it is not taken consistently.
How well does PrEP work?
Studies have shown that PrEP reduces the risk of getting HIV from sex by more than 90% when used consistently. Among people who inject drugs, PrEP reduces the risk of getting HIV by more than 70% when used consistently. For information about these studies here’s a link.
How do I get started?
Screening and medication are both offered here at New Hope. Just give us a call and we will be happy to set you up for an appointment. It’s important to note that PrEP Treatment requires frequent blood work and follow up every 3 months. You must take PrEP daily for it to work.