PEP in Tennessee — post-exposure prophylaxis, 72-hour window
The number
PEP prevents HIV only if started within 72 hours of exposure; every emergency department in Tennessee carries it on formulary.
Ryan White Part B
Tennessee Department of Health, HIV/STD Program
State ADAP
Tennessee AIDS Drug Assistance Program
Income cap 400% FPL
State PrEP-DAP
Not operated; federal Ready Set PrEP applies
Accessing PEP in Tennessee — 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 Tennessee, 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 1-615-741-8530 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 Vanderbilt Comprehensive Care Clinic and Friends for Life Corporation as the local institutions that show up consistently — both are listed below.
Vanderbilt Comprehensive Care Clinic. Vanderbilt's Comprehensive Care Clinic in Nashville is Tennessee's largest Ryan White Part C grantee, serving about 3,700 people living with HIV across middle Tennessee; Vanderbilt hosts the Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance community research partnership with Meharry Medical College.
Friends for Life Corporation. Friends for Life in Memphis is the Ryan White Part A case-management backbone for the Memphis EMA, serving about 2,200 clients across Shelby, Fayette, and Tipton counties and operating the state's highest-volume Black-community-focused rapid-testing program on Cooper Street.
For Black families in Tennessee
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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee
Vanderbilt Comprehensive Care Clinic
Nashville, TN • 1-615-467-0154
Friends for Life Corporation — Memphis
Memphis, TN • 1-901-272-0855
Nashville CARES
Nashville, TN • 1-615-259-4866
Regional One Health Ryan White Adult Special Care Center
Memphis, TN • 1-901-545-6969
Shelby County Health Department — Memphis STD/HIV Clinic
Memphis, TN • 1-901-222-9000
OutMemphis
Memphis, TN • 1-901-278-6422
Chattanooga CARES
Chattanooga, TN • 1-423-265-2273
East Tennessee AIDS Response (ETAR) — Knoxville
Knoxville, TN • 1-865-525-1540
Where to get help in Tennessee
- Tennessee HIV info line: 1-615-741-8530 — staff can find the nearest free testing site, schedule PrEP, or help enroll you in ADAP.
- Tennessee Department of Health, HIV/STD Program landing page: https://www.tn.gov/health/cedep/hiv-std.html.
- Federally Qualified Health Centers in Tennessee: every FQHC offers sliding-scale HIV testing and has certified application counselors on staff. See our FQHC directory for the state at /clinics/tn/.
- State health data for Tennessee: for state-level HIV mortality, maternal health, and life-expectancy context by race, see /health/tennessee/.
- Tennessee Medicaid: Medicaid is the largest single payer of HIV care in most states. See /medicaid/tennessee/ for eligibility + enrollment.
References & primary sources
- Tennessee Department of Health, HIV/STD Program: https://www.tn.gov/health/cedep/hiv-std.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/tennessee/.
- CDC PEP guidelines, non-occupational exposure: cdc.gov/hiv/clinicians/prevention/pep.html.
Data refreshed: