At this meeting, SF Department of Public Health Director Daniel Tsai joined us to share his vision for the department. Following his remarks, Dr. Susan Buchbinder presented a summary of the recently released SFDPH 2024 HIV Epidemiology Report. 

We had a phenomenal panel discussion with Dr. Nicky Mehtani (SFDPH/MXM), Ebony Gordon (SFAF), Taylor Nanz (Solid Ground), and Cat-Dancing Alleyne (Bridge HIV), who offered valuable insights and suggestions on how to increase PrEP knowledge and access for underserved populations in San Francisco. Dr. Al Liu and Aurora Chavez, Co-Chairs of the PrEP Committee, organized the main program. 

L-R  Aurora Chavez, Dr. Nicky Mehtani, Ebony Gordon, Taylor Nanz, and Cat-Dancing Alleyne

Below are some recommendations shared during the discussion to increase PrEP knowledge & access among:

People Experiencing Homelessness

• Implement same-day PrEP starts, especially for long-acting injectable PrEP, to reduce drop-off.
• Train providers to feel comfortable with new PrEP modalities and delivery models.
• Use multidisciplinary teams to support patient engagement and retention.
• Foster a non-judgmental, compassionate, harm-reduction culture in clinics and outreach.
• Incentivize word-of-mouth referrals to expand reach.
• Develop novel strategies to address communication barriers, such as lost or stolen phones.
• Hold community-building events in locations where target populations live (e.g., SROs, housing sites).

Black Women

• Build trust and relationships by partnering with organizations and causes that community members are already involved in.
• Promote holistic wellness by addressing intersectional needs (e.g., reproductive justice, birth work, college outreach, sororities).
• Invest in and support events and spaces where people feel safe, including non-traditional public health events.
• Use sex-positive, pleasure-focused sex education to reduce stigma and increase engagement.
• Explore opportunities to train and partner with trusted community members (e.g., beauty professionals, sorority members) to serve as PrEP navigators.
• Partner with beauty professionals (hair stylists, lash techs, nail techs) to disseminate information and resources.
• Continue and expand awareness campaigns using social media, community ambassadors, and culturally relevant messaging.

Link to the presentation slides is here.