Updated PrEP Locator Makes It Easier to Find HIV Prevention Providers Nationwide

Finding medication to prevent HIV should not be difficult. 

A newly redesigned PrEP Locator website with enhanced functionality is making it easier for people across the United States to find health clinics that prescribe pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a medication that is over 99% effective at preventing HIV when taken as prescribed. Among the many features included in this version of the tool is the ability to search for clinics that carry long-acting injectable PrEP—a highly requested service. 

“Long-acting prevention medication is an amazing advancement. People now only need injections twice per year to prevent HIV,” says Aaron Siegler, PhD, professor of epidemiology at the Rollins School of Public Health. “Our PrEP Locator website now allows people to find nearby clinics that provide this medication.  New technology is the first step. Now we need to help people access it.”

For the past 10 years, PrEP Locator, created by Siegler, has helped people across the country find PrEP clinics. The free tool routinely gets 10,000 or more users per month, with demand reaching closer to 40,000 during peak months. The redesigned website introduces new features that make it easier to find clinics offering the type of PrEP services patients need.

Search Filters Make Finding PrEP Easier Than Ever

Aside from a fresh look and feel, the website’s biggest change is with added search filters that allow users to search for clinics that: 

• Prescribe injectable PrEP
• Offer same-day prescriptions for PrEP
• Accept walk-ins
• Have wait times less than three days
• Prescribe doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis 

This latest version also includes national telemedicine providers as a search filter. 

Siegler says, “Our new search features will help users find the clinic that is right for them. Some people may want to walk into a clinic without needing to schedule an appointment, and others will want to get PrEP pills on the same day as their appointment. By allowing users to customize their search, our new website will help people quickly and easily access HIV prevention options.”

To update the tool, a team of over 30 Rollins students called more than 7,000 clinics up to four times each to verify the site’s PrEP services information. Siegler notes the effort was “monumental” but one that was necessary for ensuring the tool’s accuracy. 

This relaunch is particularly timely as disruptions to datasets and databases at the federal level impact people’s access to critical health prevention tools. For instance, the National Prevention Information Network, which runs several major testing and vaccine finders like those for HIV testing, was down for four weeks earlier this summer. 

“Prevention is the bedrock of public health,” says Siegler. “In addition to saving lives, it is usually cost saving. Yet, seeking prevention is rarely as urgent as seeking medical treatment. To optimize uptake of prevention services, we need to make it easy for people to make great health choices. Locator tools are a critical piece of this.”

PrEPLocator is presented by Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health in partnership with ViiV Healthcare and Gilead Sciences, Inc.

Media Contact:
Rob Spahr
470.590.8055
rob.spahr@emory.edu