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PEP Iowa

PEP in Iowa: the 72-hour window and where to go

The number

PEP must be started within 72 hours (3 days) after a possible exposure to HIV.

Primary source: https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/prevention/pep.html

Ryan White Part B

Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, Ryan White Part B Program

State ADAP

Benefits and Drug Assistance Program (BDAP)

Income limit 500% of the poverty level

State PrEP program

None we could confirm; almost all health plans must cover PrEP at no charge

Accessing PEP in Iowa, the 72-hour window

PEP is emergency medicine that prevents HIV after a possible exposure. CDC says it must be started within 72 hours (3 days), so go to an emergency room or urgent care right away and ask for PEP. CDC: PEP.

For help in your state: Iowa's HIV program.

For Black families in Iowa

3,480 people were living with diagnosed HIV in Iowa at the end of 2024, and 29% of people 13 and older newly diagnosed that year were Black (our arithmetic from CDC's counts), according to CDC's provisional 2024 data.

The Project at Primary Health Care. The Project at Primary Health Care, at 1200 University Ave. in Des Moines, offers free, confidential HIV and STI testing, HIV medical and dental care, behavioral health support, and case management in one place. It is one of the agencies Iowa HHS funds to deliver Ryan White Part B services. Call (515) 248-1595.

University of Iowa Health Care Virology Clinic. The Virology Clinic at University of Iowa Health Care in Iowa City provides primary HIV medical care, medication and adherence counseling, psychiatry services, specialty pharmacy, and help with Ryan White funds and HOPWA housing services. It also runs a satellite clinic in Waterloo, and Ryan White case management is offered through River Hills Community Health Center in Ottumwa. Appointments: 1-319-356-8133.

Named HIV testing + PrEP sites in Iowa

Primary Health Care Inc. — Engebretsen HIV Clinic

Des Moines, IA • 1-515-248-1600

Rapid test Sliding scale Black-community anchor

University of Iowa HIV Specialty Clinic

Iowa City, IA • 1-319-356-8070

Sliding scale

Iowa Harm Reduction Coalition

Cedar Rapids, IA • 1-319-214-0541

Rapid test Free

Where to get help in Iowa

References & primary sources

Data refreshed:

More Iowa HIV care

HIV testing in Iowa PrEP in Iowa ADAP in Iowa

Get care in Iowa

Reading about PEP is the first step. These are the places in Iowa that actually test, prescribe, and cover it.

All 73 community health centers in Iowa Federally qualified health centers test for HIV, prescribe PrEP, and charge on a sliding scale. No insurance required. 7 Black clinicians in Iowa Filter by specialty and insurance to find someone taking new patients. Medicaid in Iowa Medicaid pays for PrEP, HIV testing, and treatment. Check whether you qualify and how to apply.