PEP in Virginia — post-exposure prophylaxis, 72-hour window
The number
PEP prevents HIV only if started within 72 hours of exposure; every emergency department in Virginia carries it on formulary.
Ryan White Part B
Virginia Department of Health, Division of Disease Prevention
State ADAP
Virginia AIDS Drug Assistance Program
Income cap 400% FPL
State PrEP-DAP
Virginia PrEP-DAP
Accessing PEP in Virginia — 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 Virginia, 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 1-804-864-7300 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 VCU Infectious Disease Clinic and Nationz Foundation as the local institutions that show up consistently — both are listed below.
VCU Infectious Disease Clinic. The VCU Infectious Disease Clinic in Richmond is Virginia's largest Ryan White Part C grantee, serving about 3,400 people living with HIV across central Virginia; VCU is the training home for the state's HIV primary-care workforce through the Mid-Atlantic AETC.
Nationz Foundation. Nationz Foundation in Richmond is Virginia's largest Black-LGBTQ+-led HIV service organization, operating rapid testing, peer navigation, and the annual Black Pride health screening event in Monroe Park, with satellite programming in Hampton Roads and the Shenandoah Valley.
For Black families in Virginia
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 Virginia 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 Virginia
VCU Infectious Disease Clinic — Richmond
Richmond, VA • 1-804-828-9631
Nationz Foundation — Richmond
Richmond, VA • 1-804-716-0040
Minority Health Consortium (MHC) — Norfolk
Norfolk, VA • 1-757-839-0021
Whitman-Walker Health — Alexandria Campus
Alexandria, VA • 1-703-838-2437
Eastern Virginia Medical School Infectious Disease — Norfolk
Norfolk, VA • 1-757-388-6800
Virginia Department of Health — Central Richmond Health District STD Clinic
Richmond, VA • 1-804-482-5500
Where to get help in Virginia
- Virginia HIV info line: 1-804-864-7300 — staff can find the nearest free testing site, schedule PrEP, or help enroll you in ADAP.
- Virginia Department of Health, Division of Disease Prevention landing page: https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/disease-prevention/.
- Federally Qualified Health Centers in Virginia: every FQHC offers sliding-scale HIV testing and has certified application counselors on staff. See our FQHC directory for the state at /clinics/va/.
- State health data for Virginia: for state-level HIV mortality, maternal health, and life-expectancy context by race, see /health/virginia/.
- Virginia Medicaid: Medicaid is the largest single payer of HIV care in most states. See /medicaid/virginia/ for eligibility + enrollment.
References & primary sources
- Virginia Department of Health, Division of Disease Prevention: https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/disease-prevention/.
- 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/virginia/.
- CDC PEP guidelines, non-occupational exposure: cdc.gov/hiv/clinicians/prevention/pep.html.
Data refreshed: