PrEP in Georgia — 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 Georgia, 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.

Georgia operates Georgia PrEP Assistance Program, layered on top of the federal Ready, Set, PrEP program. Eligibility in Georgia goes up to 300% of the federal poverty line, which covers clinician visits, lab work, and medication. Apply through the state HIV program line at 1-800-551-2728 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 Grady Ponce de Leon Center (Emory Infectious Diseases Program) and THRIVE SS as the local institutions that show up consistently — both are listed below.

Grady Ponce de Leon Center (Emory Infectious Diseases Program). Emory's Ponce de Leon Center at Grady Hospital in Atlanta is the largest Ryan White-funded HIV clinic in the United States, serving more than 6,000 people living with HIV annually — over 80% Black — and hosting the CDC-funded Getting to Zero Atlanta implementation science program.

THRIVE SS. THRIVE SS is Atlanta's Black-gay-men-led HIV service organization, founded in 2015 at the Counter Narrative Project. THRIVE SS runs rapid testing, peer navigation, and the annual BLACKOUT HIV summit — the largest Black-queer-centered HIV convening in the South.