The undersigned 111 public health, HIV, hepatitis, and STD community-based organizations, along with providers, community health centers, and advocacy organizations are writing to urge you to support the creation of a national PrEP grant program to prevent HIV in the United States.
We urge the USPSTF to consider the following two recommendations as it finalizes its plan “Prevention of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infection: Preexposure Prophylaxis”: research should explicitly evaluate and describe the ancillary services that are integral to the PrEP intervention and the USPSTF should adopt a more nimble and timely review of the PrEP recommendation as new products see clinical trial success.
PrEP is a critical component to ending the HIV epidemic; however, its uptake has been limited, particularly in communities most at risk of HIV, including Black and Latino gay men and Black women. While there are established government programs that are funded for the treatment of HIV, there is no comprehensive nationwide program dedicated for the provision of PrEP. The “PrEP Assistance Program Act” would help fill that void by providing grants to states, community-based organizations, community health centers, and others to establish and support PrEP programs.
We know that access to quality PrEP care is critical to HIV prevention efforts and we will continue to work with our partners to look for ways to expand PrEP services and commit to equitably expanding access to and uptake of PrEP. As part of Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S., state and local communities (in partnership with CDC and other federal agencies) are employing innovative strategies, such as telePrEP and same-day PrEP delivery, to increase access to and use of PrEP. These efforts focus on African American and Latino gay and bisexual men, African American women, and other populations disproportionately affected by HIV. We appreciate the input from you and your co-signatories and our partnership in HIV prevention.
HIV+Hep & 62 organizations send a letter to USPSTF requesting an update of PrEP recommendations to include long-acting agents.