Cempa Community Care is proud to sponsor Chattanooga Pride and to join our community in celebrating the occasion. For the second year in a row, we will be offering access to same-day PrEP for those attending Chattanooga’s LGBTQ+ Pride festival.

This year’s festival will be held on Oct. 7 and 8 at the Chattanooga Convention Center. Attendees can access the Same-Day Rapid PrEP Start event, along with HIV and hepatitis C testing, from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 8.

Offering same-day access to PrEP therapy is a way of taking barriers out of the normal process for beginning a PrEP regimen. PrEP, which stands for pre-exposure prophylaxis, is a medication therapy that reduces the risk of acquiring HIV. There are three different PrEP medications approved by the FDA (two oral therapies — daily pills — and one injectable therapy, which requires an injection every two months). When taken as prescribed, they’re over 99 percent effective in preventing HIV. (*Note: Oral PrEP Rapid Starts will be the only treatment option offered at the same-day PrEP event.)

“When someone comes into our clinic for an HIV test, their anxiety levels are usually very high and they probably wish they were taking PrEP so they wouldn’t have this anxiety about test results,” says Mario Forte, PrEP Navigator at Cempa. “If they test negative for HIV, their anxiety immediately drops, and if we cannot get them to see a provider immediately for a prescription, once they leave the office, it’s very difficult to get them to return.”

Expediting the process to begin PrEP therapy immediately removes that roadblock, getting more people the medication that can help protect their health.

“Same-Day PrEP Start is vital, because so many who could benefit from PrEP, who accept a PrEP offer during a routine HIV test, are lost to care if they don’t show up for their scheduled appointment,” Forte says. “If people start treatment the same day, chances are that they will continue on PrEP since they have established a relationship with the provider.”

How It Works
Anyone can inquire about same-day PrEP at the event, with eligibility determined by Cempa providers on site. Having providers and a pharmacist attending the event allows those who are interested and eligible to start taking PrEP immediately.

The process is fairly simple:

1. Attendee asks for a rapid HIV test.
2. Attendee completes a standard intake form for HIV/STI screening. 
3. A Cempa tester discusses PrEP with the attendee during the test. If an offer for PrEP is accepted, the person is immediately referred to an on-site provider.
4. The provider performs a basic examination and consults with the attendee about PrEP. If satisfied that the person is an appropriate candidate, the provider will dispense a seven-day PrEP starter kit.
5. The attendee is then scheduled for a follow-up appointment at Cempa within seven days to complete required lab work. At that time, the person will receive the remainder of the PrEP prescription to continue long-term use.

Making PrEP available to participants on-site at the festival was incredibly successful in year one, and Cempa is hoping for similar success in year two.

“At this event in 2022, all attendees who were provided with a seven-day start kit attended their scheduled follow-up visits and continued taking PrEP,” Forte says. “We had a 100 percent success rate from those who were eligible, participated, and accepted a same-day PrEP start offer.”

The Same-Day PrEP Start event is a perfect reflection of Cempa’s goal of providing access to services and care that can make an impact on every person in the Chattanooga community, including the underserved.

“Our mission is achieved when we can provide a same-day rapid PrEP start, since we are meeting people where they are, bringing our services out into the community,” Forte says.

Interested in PrEP but can’t make it to Chattanooga Pride? Check out the PrEP page on our website to access information about the therapy, find contact information for PrEP Navigator Mario Forte, or schedule an appointment.