Sexual health is healthcare. And yet, for many people, it’s where they can feel the least empowered or confident about how to protect and care for themselves. At Carbon Health, we want to change that.
If you’ve never heard about PrEP before, that’s ok! A lot of people haven’t, which is exactly why we’re writing this (if you have heard of it, but weren’t sure where to start, you’re in the right place).
In this blog post, we’ll walk through what PrEP is, what an injectable version means, and what it looks like to get it here at Carbon.
* A quick note before we dive in: injectable PrEP is currently available at two San Francisco locations and we intend to roll this out to more locations soon. If you’re outside the SF Bay area, this information is still worth knowing. PrEP in the daily pill form is available via any location.
Sexual health appointment reasons - including testing, treatment, UTIs and women’s health - make up between 11-20% of visits at Carbon. It’s a big part of what we do every day and that tells us something important: we’re a go-to resource when something comes up, and sexual health is a part of everyday health.
That’s a responsibility we take very seriously.
All our locations offer PrEP and PEP, two medications that significantly reduce the risk of acquiring HIV. Earlier this year, we added injectable PrEP to two locations and, like many healthcare providers across the country, we were excited to provide this additional service to our communities. However, national uptake of the drug has been slow.
When researchers1 followed 5,300+ people over time, 61% said they were interested in injectable PrEP at the start. But two years later, only 57 people were actually on it. The medication itself is not the problem (if anything, the data shows it is very effective). But interest and access aren’t always compatible, and awareness is still catching up. So, let’s try to close that gap!
Condoms are one of the most widely used ways to protect yourself from HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. They are easily available, low cost, and well-known. That said, they are 90%+ effective, so many healthcare professionals also recommend PrEP as an extra layer of protection for those who are sexually active.
Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) is a preventive medication for individuals at risk of HIV. When taken consistently, PrEP reduces the risk of HIV transmission by over 99% in sexual contact and by at least 74% among people who inject drugs.
Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) is an emergency medication regimen taken after potential exposure to HIV. PEP must be started within 72 hours and taken for 28 days to be effective. It is a critical intervention for patients who may have been exposed through unprotected sex, needle sharing, or occupational exposure (like a needle stick injury).
At Carbon, we can help you with all the above.
For many people, PrEP is associated with a daily pill (known by their brand names, Truvada or Descovy). The pill is an effective option, but comes with one crucial requirement: it must be taken every day, ideally at the same time every day. For many people, that’s not a barrier, but for others it can be.
“A lot of patients have ‘pill fatigue.’ It can be difficult to stay on schedule or even just something that you dread having to do each day. Some patients also have privacy concerns and don’t want to be seen taking a blue pill every day.” Tania Martinez, Center Manager at San Francisco Market Street.
Injectable PrEP removes that challenge. Instead of a daily pill, you’d come in for a shot less frequently. Here’s how the options compare:
.png)
Let’s tackle this head on, because there’s a lot of noise and doubts about PrEP that can get between you and better health.
“PrEP is only for gay men”
“It’s too expensive”
“The side effects scare me”
“Getting started sounds complicated”
* PrEP is a medication to help prevent HIV. If your test results show you are positive for HIV, we can talk about other treatments.
The average length of time from the first visit to the first injection is 10 days or less. In some cases, it can take a bit longer (mostly due to insurance timelines) but we stay actively involved throughout the entire process so you never wonder what’s going on.
“Some patients choose to do a virtual visit first because they just want to learn about their options and it saves them a visit. If they decide to begin PrEP, they can get their labs done at any of our locations. The only time you’d need to come into San Francisco is for the shot itself, and every 2 or 6 months after that.” Jarren Suh, Center Manager at San Francisco Civic Center
Our goal is to eventually bring this to all our locations. But in the meantime, you don’t have to live in San Francisco to benefit from injectable PrEP. If you’re willing to make the trip for the shots, we’ll meet you at any other clinic for the follow up visits in between.
A few things that make Carbon different:
“We know that the back-and-forth creates uncertainty and frustration, which can cause a lot of people to give up before even starting. We try to absorb as much of that as possible to make the experience seamless for others, which is why we hope patients will consider us if they’re interested in PrEP.” Jarren Suh, Center Manager at San Francisco Civic Center
You don’t need to come in knowing exactly what you want. If you’re sexually active, we’d encourage you to learn about the best way to protect yourself from STIs and STDs. There is no wrong answer or perfect way to proceed. Our only goal is for you to know more than you did before, and know that we’re genuinely in your corner.
Ready to take the next step? Schedule a virtual or in-person visit today, and we’ll help you figure out the rest together.
Special thanks to the teams at Gilead and ViiV for their guidance and partnership throughout this process. And to our team members who bring this to life, especially Jarren Suh, Joshua Baxter, Jountiá Boiles, Katy Gutman, and Tania Martinez.
References:
1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41329477
2. https://www.kff.org/hiv-aids/the-impact-of-hiv-on-women-in-the-united-states
