PEP in Mississippi — post-exposure prophylaxis, 72-hour window
The number
PEP prevents HIV only if started within 72 hours of exposure; every emergency department in Mississippi carries it on formulary.
Ryan White Part B
Mississippi State Department of Health, STD/HIV Office
State ADAP
Mississippi AIDS Drug Assistance Program
Income cap 400% FPL
State PrEP-DAP
Not operated; federal Ready Set PrEP applies
Accessing PEP in Mississippi — 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 Mississippi, 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 1-601-576-7723 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 My Brother's Keeper Inc. and University of Mississippi Medical Center Adult Special Care Clinic as the local institutions that show up consistently — both are listed below.
My Brother's Keeper Inc.. My Brother's Keeper in Ridgeland, Mississippi, is the state's largest Black-led HIV service organization, operating community-based testing across the Mississippi Delta and the Community Health PEARL program — a rapid-PrEP-initiation partnership with Delta Health Center.
University of Mississippi Medical Center Adult Special Care Clinic. The UMMC Adult Special Care Clinic in Jackson is Mississippi's largest Ryan White Part C grantee, serving more than 2,800 people living with HIV — nearly 85% Black — and hosting the MS CEAL community engagement program with Jackson State University.
For Black families in Mississippi
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 Mississippi 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 Mississippi
My Brother's Keeper Inc. — Ridgeland
Ridgeland, MS • 1-601-898-0000
UMMC Adult Special Care Clinic
Jackson, MS • 1-601-984-1000
Open Arms Healthcare Center — Jackson
Jackson, MS • 1-601-500-7700
Delta Health Center — Mound Bayou
Mound Bayou, MS • 1-662-741-2151
Building Bridges Inc. — Jackson
Jackson, MS • 1-601-500-0730
Grace House — Jackson
Jackson, MS • 1-601-353-1038
Where to get help in Mississippi
- Mississippi HIV info line: 1-601-576-7723 — staff can find the nearest free testing site, schedule PrEP, or help enroll you in ADAP.
- Mississippi State Department of Health, STD/HIV Office landing page: https://msdh.ms.gov/page/14,0,150.html.
- Federally Qualified Health Centers in Mississippi: every FQHC offers sliding-scale HIV testing and has certified application counselors on staff. See our FQHC directory for the state at /clinics/ms/.
- State health data for Mississippi: for state-level HIV mortality, maternal health, and life-expectancy context by race, see /health/mississippi/.
- Mississippi Medicaid: Medicaid is the largest single payer of HIV care in most states. See /medicaid/mississippi/ for eligibility + enrollment.
References & primary sources
- Mississippi State Department of Health, STD/HIV Office: https://msdh.ms.gov/page/14,0,150.html.
- 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/mississippi/.
- CDC PEP guidelines, non-occupational exposure: cdc.gov/hiv/clinicians/prevention/pep.html.
Data refreshed: