PEP in Georgia — post-exposure prophylaxis, 72-hour window
The number
PEP prevents HIV only if started within 72 hours of exposure; every emergency department in Georgia carries it on formulary.
Ryan White Part B
Georgia Department of Public Health, HIV/AIDS Epidemiology Section
State ADAP
Georgia AIDS Drug Assistance Program
Income cap 400% FPL
State PrEP-DAP
Georgia PrEP Assistance Program
Accessing PEP in Georgia — the 72-hour window
Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is a 28-day course of three HIV medications that prevents HIV after a possible exposure — condomless sex with someone who has or may have HIV, a needle-sharing event, or a needlestick injury. PEP works only if started within 72 hours of exposure and works best when started within the first 2 hours. If you're reading this after a recent possible exposure and you haven't started PEP yet, treat it as an emergency: go to the nearest emergency department tonight.
In Georgia, PEP is available from every emergency department and from urgent-care clinics at some community health centers. The standard regimen — tenofovir/emtricitabine plus dolutegravir or raltegravir — is on the formulary of every major retail pharmacy. The first week's worth is often dispensed directly from the ED; a follow-up visit within a few days transitions you to a 28-day prescription. Four weeks later, a repeat HIV test confirms the prevention worked.
Cost: most insurance plans cover PEP with standard copays. If you're uninsured or your exposure was sexual assault, the Gilead Advancing Access patient-assistance program and the Office for Victims of Crime's Crime Victim Compensation Fund cover the full course. Some states run state-level Sexual Assault Forensic Exam (SAFE) funds that pay PEP costs when exposure follows a reported assault. The state HIV line is 1-800-551-2728 if you need help figuring out the right place to go tonight.
If your PEP course finishes and you think you may be at ongoing risk, ask about starting PrEP the same week. PrEP-to-PEP-to-PrEP sequencing is common and supported — you do not have to wait between the two. Long-time Black residents name Grady Ponce de Leon Center (Emory Infectious Diseases Program) and THRIVE SS as the local institutions that show up consistently — both are listed below.
Grady Ponce de Leon Center (Emory Infectious Diseases Program). Emory's Ponce de Leon Center at Grady Hospital in Atlanta is the largest Ryan White-funded HIV clinic in the United States, serving more than 6,000 people living with HIV annually — over 80% Black — and hosting the CDC-funded Getting to Zero Atlanta implementation science program.
THRIVE SS. THRIVE SS is Atlanta's Black-gay-men-led HIV service organization, founded in 2015 at the Counter Narrative Project. THRIVE SS runs rapid testing, peer navigation, and the annual BLACKOUT HIV summit — the largest Black-queer-centered HIV convening in the South.
For Black families in Georgia
The South carries the heaviest HIV burden in the country: Black Southern residents make up roughly 14% of the U.S. population but account for more than half of new Black HIV diagnoses nationally. Black patients are less likely to be offered PEP in the emergency department than white patients with comparable exposures, per published ED-utilization research. If you're in Georgia and you show up at an ED within 72 hours of a possible exposure, advocate for yourself: ask specifically for 'HIV post-exposure prophylaxis' and the infectious-diseases consult. The community organizations listed below can also coordinate a same-day PEP dispense at their clinic in most metros.
Named HIV testing + PrEP sites in Georgia
Grady Ponce de Leon Center
Atlanta, GA • 1-404-616-2440
THRIVE SS
Atlanta, GA • 1-404-549-8455
Someone Cares Inc. of Atlanta
Marietta, GA • 1-770-919-1901
AID Atlanta — Spring Street Office
Atlanta, GA • 1-404-870-7700
Positive Impact Health Centers — Midtown
Atlanta, GA • 1-404-589-9040
Positive Impact Health Centers — Duluth
Duluth, GA • 1-404-589-9040
Fulton County Board of Health — Central STD/HIV Clinic
Atlanta, GA • 1-404-612-0884
DeKalb County Board of Health — Kirkwood Clinic
Atlanta, GA • 1-404-294-3700
SisterLove, Inc.
Atlanta, GA • 1-404-505-7777
Savannah Health Services — St. Joseph's/Candler
Savannah, GA • 1-912-819-4000
Where to get help in Georgia
- Georgia HIV info line: 1-800-551-2728 — staff can find the nearest free testing site, schedule PrEP, or help enroll you in ADAP.
- Georgia Department of Public Health, HIV/AIDS Epidemiology Section landing page: https://dph.georgia.gov/hivaids.
- Federally Qualified Health Centers in Georgia: every FQHC offers sliding-scale HIV testing and has certified application counselors on staff. See our FQHC directory for the state at /clinics/ga/.
- State health data for Georgia: for state-level HIV mortality, maternal health, and life-expectancy context by race, see /health/georgia/.
- Georgia Medicaid: Medicaid is the largest single payer of HIV care in most states. See /medicaid/georgia/ for eligibility + enrollment.
References & primary sources
- Georgia Department of Public Health, HIV/AIDS Epidemiology Section: https://dph.georgia.gov/hivaids.
- CDC HIV Surveillance Report 2022: cdc.gov/hiv/library/reports/hiv-surveillance.html. Source for state-level new diagnoses and race-stratified counts.
- HRSA HIV/AIDS Bureau, Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program grantee list: ryanwhite.hrsa.gov/grants/part-b.
- NASTAD ADAP Monitoring Project 2024 Annual Report: nastad.org/adap-monitoring-project. Source for ADAP income cap + enrollment + PrEP-DAP data.
- AIDSVu state profile: aidsvu.org/state/georgia/.
- CDC PEP guidelines, non-occupational exposure: cdc.gov/hiv/clinicians/prevention/pep.html.
Data refreshed: