PrEP in District of Columbia — pre-exposure prophylaxis, who qualifies, how to start

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a daily pill (Truvada, Descovy) or every-two-months injection (Apretude) that prevents HIV in people who don't have HIV. Taken as prescribed, daily-pill PrEP reduces the risk of sexually transmitted HIV by about 99% and the risk from injection-drug sharing by about 74%, per CDC. In District of Columbia, PrEP is available through primary-care providers, FQHCs, LGBTQ+ community health centers, and Ryan White Part C clinics — you do not need to see an HIV specialist to start.

To qualify for PrEP you need a recent negative HIV test (or one done the same day), a baseline labs panel (kidney function, hepatitis B, STIs), and a prescriber visit. Follow-up is every three months for a repeat HIV test and medication refill. Most insurance including Medicaid covers PrEP with zero out-of-pocket under the USPSTF Grade A preventive-services rule. The drug manufacturers (Gilead, ViiV) operate patient-assistance programs for anyone without insurance.

District of Columbia operates DC PrEP Drug Assistance Program, layered on top of the federal Ready, Set, PrEP program. Eligibility in District of Columbia goes up to 500% of the federal poverty line, which covers clinician visits, lab work, and medication. Apply through the state HIV program line at 1-202-671-4900 or any community HIV organization that holds a state PrEP navigation contract.

Black PrEP uptake nationally lags sharply — a 2023 AIDSVu analysis found that Black Americans account for 42% of new HIV diagnoses but only 14% of PrEP users. Long-time Black residents name Us Helping Us, People Into Living, Inc. and Whitman-Walker Health as the local institutions that show up consistently — both are listed below.

Us Helping Us, People Into Living, Inc.. Us Helping Us on Georgia Avenue NW is the oldest Black-gay-men's HIV organization in the United States, founded in 1985, operating rapid testing, peer navigation, clinical trials recruitment, and the annual US Helping Us Black Same Gender Loving Men's Leadership Conference.

Whitman-Walker Health. Whitman-Walker Health operates three FQHC sites across DC and is the backbone of DC's Ryan White Part A program, serving more than 7,000 people living with HIV — the majority Black — with the Max Robinson Center on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE anchoring Ward 8 services.