PEP in Texas — post-exposure prophylaxis, 72-hour window
The number
PEP prevents HIV only if started within 72 hours of exposure; every emergency department in Texas carries it on formulary.
Ryan White Part B
Texas Department of State Health Services, TB/HIV/STD Section
State ADAP
Texas HIV Medication Program (THMP)
Income cap 200% FPL
State PrEP-DAP
Texas PrEP Assistance Program
Accessing PEP in Texas — 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 Texas, 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 1-800-299-2437 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 Legacy Community Health and Thomas Street Health Center (Harris Health System) as the local institutions that show up consistently — both are listed below.
Legacy Community Health. Legacy Community Health in Houston is the largest FQHC in Texas and the Ryan White Part A backbone for the Houston EMA, serving about 6,500 people living with HIV across 12 clinics; Legacy's Southwest Clinic on Long Point Road is the state's highest-volume Black-women-focused HIV primary-care program.
Thomas Street Health Center (Harris Health System). Thomas Street Health Center in Houston is one of the largest publicly funded HIV clinics in the U.S., serving more than 6,000 people living with HIV — over 80% Black or Latino — and co-sponsoring the University of Texas Health Center for AIDS Research.
For Black families in Texas
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 Texas 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 Texas
Legacy Community Health — Southwest Clinic
Houston, TX • 1-832-548-5000
Legacy Community Health — Montrose
Houston, TX • 1-832-548-5000
Thomas Street Health Center
Houston, TX • 1-713-873-4000
Montrose Center — Houston
Houston, TX • 1-713-529-0037
The Afiya Center — Dallas
Dallas, TX • 1-214-421-2200
Prism Health North Texas — Oak Lawn
Dallas, TX • 1-972-925-9440
Parkland Health — Amelia Court Infectious Diseases Clinic
Dallas, TX • 1-214-590-8000
Resource Center — Dallas
Dallas, TX • 1-214-540-4455
Kind Clinic — San Antonio
San Antonio, TX • 1-833-937-5463
Kind Clinic — Austin South
Austin, TX • 1-833-937-5463
Where to get help in Texas
- Texas HIV info line: 1-800-299-2437 — staff can find the nearest free testing site, schedule PrEP, or help enroll you in ADAP.
- Texas Department of State Health Services, TB/HIV/STD Section landing page: https://www.dshs.texas.gov/hiv-std-program.
- Federally Qualified Health Centers in Texas: every FQHC offers sliding-scale HIV testing and has certified application counselors on staff. See our FQHC directory for the state at /clinics/tx/.
- State health data for Texas: for state-level HIV mortality, maternal health, and life-expectancy context by race, see /health/texas/.
- Texas Medicaid: Medicaid is the largest single payer of HIV care in most states. See /medicaid/texas/ for eligibility + enrollment.
References & primary sources
- Texas Department of State Health Services, TB/HIV/STD Section: https://www.dshs.texas.gov/hiv-std-program.
- 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/texas/.
- CDC PEP guidelines, non-occupational exposure: cdc.gov/hiv/clinicians/prevention/pep.html.
Data refreshed: