PrEP in Virginia — pre-exposure prophylaxis, who qualifies, how to start
The number
Virginia PrEP-DAP covers PrEP medication + clinician visits + labs for residents up to 400% of the federal poverty line.
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
How to start PrEP in Virginia
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 Virginia, 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.
Virginia operates Virginia PrEP-DAP, layered on top of the federal Ready, Set, PrEP program. Eligibility in Virginia goes up to 400% of the federal poverty line, which covers clinician visits, lab work, and medication. Apply through the state HIV program line at 1-804-864-7300 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 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. PrEP uptake among Black Americans lags sharply — AIDSVu's 2023 PrEP-to-Need ratio analysis puts the Black PrEP ratio at roughly one-eighth the white ratio. In Virginia specifically, with 56% of new 2022 diagnoses among Black residents, closing that PrEP gap is the single highest-leverage prevention move. Black-led HIV organizations in the state run PrEP-specific navigation programs that match you with a prescriber, handle benefits coordination, and keep you in the three-month follow-up rhythm.
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.
- Federal Ready, Set, PrEP: getyourprep.com — no-cost PrEP medication for people without insurance.
- CDC NPIN testing-site finder: gettested.cdc.gov accepts a zip code and returns every free + low-cost HIV testing site within 50 miles.
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 PrEP guidelines, 2021 update: cdc.gov/hiv/clinicians/prevention/prep.html.
Data refreshed: