The Louisiana Department of Health is being recognized for staff efforts to make more at-risk patients aware of the HIV prevention drug known as PrEP.
African-American women have ranked the second-highest for new HIV diagnoses in Louisiana, after gay black men. As the USA Today Network noted in a Feb. 7 story, LDH prevention manager Jacky Bickham helped launch an ambassador program in March of 2019 so that black women could be empowered to begin meaningful conversations with their partners and health providers about their sexual health.
“She identified women in New Orleans, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Shreveport, and Baton Rouge from different economic backgrounds who were already engaging with other black women to share information about PrEP,” wrote USA Today Network reporter Maria Clark. “Louisiana, which was among the top 10 states with the highest HIV rates in the U.S. in 2017, has seen a steady decline in recent years. In 2018, only 989 new cases were diagnosed, according to Louisiana’s Department of Health.”
After women have been informed and have learned that PrEP can be an option for them as a part of their sexual health, then they can talk to their provider about getting on PrEP.
In 2017, 78% of new HIV diagnoses among women were black. Of those, half were under 35 years of age. The Black Women and PrEP campaign is consistent with the previously announced Department Equity Plan, which seeks to reduce health disparities among vulnerable communities.
In addition to the Black Women and PrEP awareness program Bickham launched, the Louisiana Department of Health manages a TelePrEP program for people who have difficulty finding a PrEP provider, cannot travel for regular follow-up medical visits, or who would prefer not to access PrEP in a clinical setting. The PrEP provider can be reached over the phone, on a laptop, or tablet, and labs are required for TelePrEP to ensure patient safety. The prescriptions are mailed to patients to their address of choice.