PrEP Summit in Chicago Sheds Light on the HIV Prevention Pill

BTAN Chicago is stepping up plans for PrEP in the city

As health-care providers and community-based health groups in Chicago continue to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS in the Black community, the demand to include pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in their arsenal grows louder. 

Last November health-care providers, advocates and government officials convened at the Chicago PrEp Summit along the national PrEP Tour to talk about and increase awareness about PrEP, one of the latest and most effective HIV-prevention methods.

"The idea of the PrEP Summit was to bring together health-care providers to discuss current research findings, what the current practices were in the community, training and how that information would be best disseminated, particularly in Black communities," said Cynthia Tucker, vice president of prevention and community partnerships at the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, speaking at the Summit.

A Gap in Opportunities

Atara Young, co-chair of the Chicago chapter of the Black Treatment Advocates Network (BTAN), described the event as a collaborative effort between non-profit and government agencies and community groups, including the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, Highland Alliance, the Chicago HIV Integrated Services Council, the Chicago Department of Public Health, the Southside HIV/AIDS Resource Providers and the Westside HIV/AIDS Resource Providers.

According to the December 2015 HIV/STI Surveillance Report (pdf) for Chicago, the number of diagnoses of new HIV infections in that city fell 48 percent from 2001 to 2014. African Americans continue to be disproportionately affected. Blacks account for about one-third of Chicago's population, but they represent more than half of PLWHA, diagnoses of new HIV infections and new AIDS diagnoses, the report said.

Even though Chicago's overall five-year trend (2010-2014) in the number of new HIV infections has plateaued, the number of new HIV infections among MSM has increased more than 3 percent every year over the same time period. Tucker said that PrEP is highly effective in decreasing one's chances of acquiring HIV. Still, access to the lifesaving medication remains elusive.

"There's a gap in the opportunities for PrEP," said Young. "We know that PrEP is wonderful. You have to believe that we can get to zero new infections, because we have the science."

Engaged in the Conversation

During the summit, health-care advocates and providers discussed the science behind PrEP, how to make PrEP more accessible and how to get it covered through health insurance plans. Young said that community-based groups have a tough time finding money to fund prevention-based programming to increase awareness about PrEP among Blacks.

"There are no prevention dollars," Young said. "Prevention is vital to making sure that people understand HIV/AIDS as a public health issue." Young said that many grants and other funding opportunities for HIV/AIDS work require collaborative partnerships, intensive data collection and infrastructure that community-based organizations (CBOs) simply don't have. "You can no longer say, 'I just do prevention and outreach,'" said Young. "You have to offer comprehensive services, but what CBO in our city has the capacity to do that?"

Young added, "That's why BTAN is so important, because we can unapologetically focus on Black folks." She estimated that more than 120 people attended the summit, a few dozen more than organizers had anticipated.

Sherman Bryant, co-chair of BTAN Chicago, was impressed by the turnout and amazed that people were so engaged in the conversation. "Health-care providers wanted to learn more about PrEP, and they wanted continual training on PrEP," said Bryant. "We need to stay on top of this."

Many health-care providers have limited experience with PrEP and don't feel comfortable prescribing because they haven't read the research for themselves, Tucker said. Some doctors are simply reluctant to have the "sex talk" with their patients; though trained, most are still behind the times when it comes to talking about sexual health, said Tucker.

"We need to change that," said Tucker. "Anyone who's taking PrEP needs assistance. We need mechanisms in place that will support individuals in the usage of PrEP as long as they need it."

Tucker said that the AIDS Foundation is working with providers to make sure that they are trained in PrEP. Her organization is also hosting community forums and focus groups about the prevention tool. "If you use PrEP for the time that you need it, it can be safe and effective, and there shouldn't be stigma attached," said Tucker. "It's not going to change who you are and what your behavior is."

She continued: "Are we saying, 'Don't use condoms'? Absolutely not. We are saying, 'Use PrEP and continue to use condoms as needed.'"

Freddie Allen is the senior Washington correspondent for Black Press of America. You can follow him on Twitter.