The overall goal of the RAPID (Rapid ART Program Initiative for HIV Diagnoses) program is to create a set of “hubs” around the city where persons newly diagnosed with HIV (or out of care) can rapidly access antiretroviral therapy (ART) and have a smooth transition to their medical home. In order to accomplish this goal, a RAPID steering committee established hub locations, standard operating procedure (SOP) for ART start, and SOP for transition to a primary medical home. The committee works with SF Department of Public Health surveillance (now “ARCHES”) to track the uptake and outcomes of persons participating in the program. We build on the existing LINCS programs at SFDPH to create and support hubs for rapid initiation of ART to individuals.
We start ART:
Within 48 hours –
- If acute/early infection (recent negative Ab test, RNA+/Ab– or recent symptoms of acute retroviral syndrome) or
- Evidence of advanced infection (opportunistic infection or a CD4 count of less than 200)
Within 5 days –
- All other newly HIV-diagnosed persons
The program aims to provide ART for up to 5 days for these individuals until they are transitioned into their medical home.
RAPID Resources
Publications
- *New* Outcomes of Rapid Restart Among People With Previously Diagnosed HIV at a Safety-Net HIV Clinic in San Francisco. JAIDS Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes 100(3):p 256-264, November 1, 2025.
- Development of a Citywide Rapid Antiretroviral Therapy Initiative in San Francisco. AJPM. 2021 November, Pages S47-S54.
- Decreased Time from HIV Diagnosis to Care, ART Initiation, and Virologic Suppression during the Citywide RAPID Initiative in San Francisco. CID. 2020 May 25.
- RAPID ART: High virologic suppression rates with immediate ART initiation in a vulnerable urban clinic population. AIDS. 2018 December 21.
News & Updates
Getting to Zero: Not Without Housing 4/26 Consortium Meeting
The well attended 4/26 Consortium meeting focused on GTZ’s call to action for new housing policy in San Francisco. Joe Hollendoner, GTZ Steering Committee Member and San Francisco AIDS Foundation CEO, presented recommendations from the “Getting to Zero but Not Without Housing Call to Action” statement. Please see the background & recommendations here. Mr. Jeff Kositsky,…
PRC’s GTZ Employment Services Program Annual Report
By Joe Ramirez-Forcier, Managing Director, Employment Services at PRC In 2017 PRC’s Employment Services Program, a San Francisco based San Francisco Department of Public Health funded program, was inspired by their community collaborations with San Francisco’s “Getting to Zero” (GTZ) Retention and Re-engagement Committee. San Francisco’s Getting to Zero initiative is a multi-sector, independent consortium operating under…
Mission Wellness to become first pharmacy in California to offer PrEP directly to consumers
By Nikole Trainor, MPH, MCHES, Maria Lopez, Pharm.D., AAHIVP & Stephanie Cohen, MD, MPH Mission Wellness Pharmacy in San Francisco became the first pharmacy in California to provide PrEP directly to consumers, without the need for a doctor’s prescription. In collaboration with the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH), and with support from the Getting to Zero consortium, Mission…
San Francisco & Oakland to host AIDS 2020
Today, the International AIDS Society announced San Francisco and Oakland as co-hosts of the 23rd International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2020). #AIDS2020 will take place on 6-10 July 2020, returning the world’s largest HIV conference to the Bay Area, 30 years after the region emerged as an epicenter of the AIDS epidemic. Both Oakland and San Francisco faced…