PrEP prevents HIV infections, but it’s not reaching Black women

Enlarge this image Alexis Perkins, 25, tried to get a prescription for PrEP during a recent visit to her OB-GYN in Atlanta, but her doctor did not feel confident prescribing it. Sam Whitehead/KFF Health News Sam Whitehead/KFF Health News Alexis Perkins thought her OB-GYN’s office in Atlanta would be just the place to get a prescription for the type of drug that reduces a person’s risk of contracting HIV. But during a recent visit, the medical assistant who greeted her had not heard of the medicines known as preexposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, and she seemed uncomfortable discussing it, Perkins says. Her provider had heard of it but didn’t feel confident prescribing it. “She was at least honest enough to say that she was interested in it, but she didn’t really know that much about it,” says Perkins, a 25-year-old nurse, who decided to get on PrEP after participating in a sexual health education class and thinking more about her own risk. She’s still trying to find a provider to write her a prescription. “If I wasn’t really confident in myself, this could have been a very discouraging experience,” Perkins says. PrEP is a crucial tool in the fight against the...