Introduction: Why PrEP Access Matters
PrEP programs are built with one mission at heart: breaking down barriers. Whether those barriers are geographic, financial, or rooted in stigma, the challenge is to meet people where they are with the right tools, support, and message. Across North America, AIDS Service Organizations (ASOs) are proving that innovation, collaboration, and community trust are the keys to expanding HIV prevention.
Innovative Outreach Strategies by AIDS Service Organizations
ASOs have long stood at the frontlines of the HIV epidemic. Their strength lies in the deep trust they build with vulnerable populations and their ability to adapt services as needs change. What began as grassroots outreach has grown into multi-faceted health access points. Many ASOs now provide HIV testing, STI treatment, PrEP navigation, and even primary care.
Examples of this evolution can be seen at Damien Center in Indianapolis, LivWell in Paducah, Nashville Cares, and Positively Living in Knoxville. These organizations are all members of the Amplify Network, a coalition of HIV service providers created from the former Dining Out For Life International.
Amplify connects HIV professionals and organizations across the U.S. and Canada, reaching more than 500,000 people living with HIV each year which is nearly half of all people living with HIV in the country. By sharing resources and best practices, Amplify empowers local organizations to strengthen PrEP access and HIV services.
Amplify Network: Driving Collaboration in HIV Prevention
Amplify partnerships have helped pioneer innovative HIV prevention strategies, including:
– HIV home-testing kits for wider outreach
– Same-day PrEP and PEP starter kits
– Community-based PrEP and STD clinics
– Large-scale education and awareness campaigns
– Smarter marketing and engagement strategies
These initiatives show how collaboration leads to real progress in breaking down barriers to PrEP access and HIV prevention.
Learn more: https://www.diningoutforlife.com/amplify-network/
Telehealth PrEP in Rural Kentucky: AVOL’s Success Story
In Kentucky, AVOL Kentucky put these lessons into practice in 2024 by partnering with Q Care Plus to launch telehealth PrEP services with mail-order delivery. For many Kentuckians living in rural counties, the nearest clinic can be hours away. Tele-PrEP eliminated that barrier.
Today, AVOL’s PrEP Navigation Program serves around 150 people, a remarkable rise from zero in its first year.
“Tele-health, mail delivery, and ongoing communication and support has brought down so many barriers that make PrEP access so much easier,” said Jon Parker, Executive Director of AVOL Kentucky. “Kentucky has many remote places, sometimes miles and hours away from PrEP access providers. Seeing our program go from zero to 150 in its first year is so encouraging. The testing we provide has also identified many living with HIV or active sexually transmitted infections. Moving people from screening to treatment has never been faster.”
AVOL’s model — telehealth visits, discreet prescription delivery, and personalized navigation — offers a scalable best practice for rural and underserved communities. Q Care Plus provides provider networks and lab services at no cost, while insurance, low-cost generic medication, or AVOL’s PrEP financial assistance program ensures pharmacy and medication affordability.
Learn more: https://www.avolky.org
The Role of Primary Care in Expanding PrEP Access
While community programs are critical, primary care providers remain central to HIV prevention. Routine visits create opportunities to identify patients who could benefit from PrEP with just a few straightforward questions:
– “How many sex partners have you had in the past three months?”
– “Have you ever had a sexually transmitted infection?”
– “When was your last HIV test?”
“Primary care physicians are ideally positioned to prescribe PrEP because they have longitudinal relationships with patients,” explained Brandon Pollak, MD, of Ohio State University. “They get to know their patients, and hopefully their patients feel comfortable talking with them about their sexual health.”
Research confirms PrEP should be considered for people at higher risk, including those with partners living with HIV, individuals with a recent STI, men who have sex with men, transgender women who have sex with men, people who inject drugs, and individuals engaged in transactional sex. Black, Hispanic, and Latino communities remain disproportionately affected.
“The vast majority of patients on PrEP in any form sail through with no problems,” added Dr. Hamill, an HIV specialist. “The medications are very well-tolerated, particularly if people expect some short-term side effects.”
Moving Toward Ending the HIV Epidemic
Best practices for PrEP access revolve around three core values: flexibility, convenience, and trust. Community-based innovation, national collaboration through Amplify, and proactive engagement by primary care providers are together reshaping HIV prevention.
Each new partnership, each person connected to PrEP, and each barrier removed brings us closer to the same goal: ending the HIV epidemic.
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