Health Leaders Advocate for HIV Prevention -- 5.11.2015
Press Release --May 11, 2015
Contact: Jose Rodriguez, Columbus Public Health, 604-5025,
[email protected]Web – Facebook – Twitter
Health Leaders Advocate for HIV Prevention
First Major Medical Breakthrough in HIV Prevention in 30 Years
WHAT: Public health officials, healthcare providers and community AIDS organizations are holding a press conference to inform the public of PrEP, the first major medical breakthrough in HIV prevention in 30 years.
WHO: Dr. Teresa Long, health commissioner at Columbus Public Health; Priscilla Tyson, member of Columbus City Council; Shannon Hardin, member of Columbus City Council; Dr. Mike Para, infectious disease specialist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and AIDS Resource Center Ohio; Dr. Mysheika Williams Roberts, medical director and assistant health commissioner; Nancie Bechtel, assistant health commissioner and chief nursing officer at Columbus Public Health; Tiffany S. Krauss, administrator, Clinical Health Division, Columbus Public Health; Dr. Brian Beesley, primary care physician, Mount Carmel Medical Group – Victorian Village; Dr. Chad Braun, program director, family residency, Mount Carmel Health System; Peggy Anderson, chief operating officer at AIDS Resource Center Ohio; Dr. Carlos Malvestutto, infectious disease specialist at FACES, Nationwide Children’s; Dr. Jose Bazan, infectious disease specialist, medical director of the Columbus Public Health Sexual Health Clinic and assistant professor at The Ohio State University; Karla Rotham, executive director of Stonewall Columbus; and, Joshua Culbertson, PrEP patient.
WHEN: 11 a.m. today, May 11, 2015
WHERE: Columbus Public Health – Board Room (2nd Floor)
240 Parsons Ave., Columbus
DETAILS: PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) is a new once-a-day pill that reduces the risk of becoming infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. When taken as directed, PrEP is 92 percent effective at preventing HIV infection.
PrEP is available by prescription from a PrEP provider or clinic. Insurance providers, including Medicaid, cover the cost of PrEP – and assistance is available for those who need it to help eliminate barriers to care.
MORE INFO: Columbus Public Health is working to protect health and improve lives by reducing HIV infections in our community. Despite medical advancements in treatment over the last 30 years, more than 2,200 Franklin County residents have died from HIV/AIDS and there are nearly 4,200 residents living with HIV in Franklin County.
Since 2003 in Franklin County, HIV diagnoses have increased by 7% in our community. For more information on PrEP please visit us at www.publichealth.columbs.gov/prep.
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