PrEP PEP Bill Update
Thanks to the efforts of the CRS Faith, Race and Equity Issue Team and the involvement of our CRS member congregations, HIV prevention medications will now be more accessible through local pharmacies in Illinois. The bill, HB4430: Increased Access to PrEP & PEP through Community Pharmacies, successfully passed both the Illinois House and Senate in April 2022.
Championed by State Representative Kelly M. Cassidy, HB4430 opens additional avenues for HIV prevention efforts, allowing individuals to initiate care within their communities. Those most vulnerable to HIV, especially Black and Latinx individuals, are faced with a myriad of barriers when accessing preventative health care. These communities are disproportionately affected by HIV due to medical mistrust, stigma, systemic racism, LGBTQ+ discrimination, and lack of healthcare access and affordability. To combat these issues, HB4430 calls for the following reforms:
· Allow pharmacists to dispense and administer PrEP & PEP under a standing order, to those who are at risk or who may have been exposed to HIV, without an initial visit to a doctor. Allowing pharmacists to initiate PrEP and PEP offers individuals more easily accessible preventative care in a non-stigmatizing, more approachable environment.
· Aids pharmacists in referring individuals to ongoing preventative care and gives them the ability to connect patients to laboratories for additional tests to determine if PrEP is the most appropriate course of care. Pharmacists continue to facilitate connections to ongoing medical care and social support services.
Nationally, for every 25 PrEP prescriptions written by a doctor, 16 are for white individuals, whereas only a little over three are for Latino individuals and just two of every 25 are written for Black individuals. Historic and persistent disparities exist in who receives a PrEP prescription, with only about 31% of Illinoisians who would benefit from the prevention medication getting a prescription from a doctor. This percentage must increase significantly if we are to truly end the HIV epidemic in Illinois by 2030.
“We need to operate differently to reach communities that have too often been left out and left behind. We know HB4430 is the bold action we need to bridge these gaps in accessing PrEP and PEP. In expanding access, we are expanding equity and continuing to take steps towards our goal of Getting to Zero in Illinois by 2030." (Aids Foundation Chicago)
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