WelTel is proud to welcome REACH LA to our global network of customers and partners working to #StopHIVTogether. REACH LA is amplifying HIV prevention efforts by deploying PrEPmate to support more than 2,000 patients enrolled in their PrEP program in Los Angeles County.
“REACH LA is a youth-focused community health organization operating in a jurisdiction with one of the highest burdens of new HIV infections over the last five years,” says WelTel CEO Gabby Serafini. "This is a very exciting opportunity for WelTel to demonstrate the value of PrEPmate in a community with a real need and for which we have a purpose-built solution."
HIV no longer a death sentence, BUT ...
Not so long ago, an HIV diagnosis was a death sentence. Today, anti-retroviral therapies ensure that people infected with the virus can live healthy, normal lives. Plus, daily oral HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is 99 per cent effective in preventing new HIV infections in at-risk individuals -- as long as they take PrEP as prescribed.
Yet more than a decade since evidence supporting its efficacy was first published, global uptake of PrEP has been far too slow and unevenly distributed to have a major impact on halting the spread of HIV—especially in racialized and marginalized communities most affected by the disease.
Scaling up PrEP is essential for achieving HIV prevention targets in the Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) and UNAIDS initiatives.
For nearly a decade, WelTel Health has been supporting PrEP programs for both research and service delivery in communities around the world including King County and Spokane, Wash., Florida, Washington D.C., San Francisco and several countries in Africa.
REACH LA provides a safe and inclusive space where Black, Latinx and LGBTQ people and their allies can address the social determinants of health through programming focused on health and wellness, supporting social enterprise, personal growth and creative arts. It provides free HIV/STI testing and connects clients to PrEP and other health services.
Evidence-based PrEP support
Powered by the WelTel platform, PrEPmate is the patient engagement solution that improves retention, adherence and satisfaction for people taking PrEP. It was developed in collaboration with researchers at the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) and other community members to give PrEP clinics the digital tools they need to encourage clients to remain on PrEP and receive all the benefits it offers.
PrEPmate is endorsed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control as an evidence-based intervention that supports PrEP adherence and retention in care. Fully integrated with WelTel's patient engagement platform, PrEPmate helps clinics manage more patients, more effectively with:
· secure 2-way texting (and voice/video when appropriate)
· tailored messaging in any language
· automated clinical workflows, and
· seamless integration with existing electronic health record systems.
According to REACH LA, in the communities they serve, only 8 per cent of Black and 14 per cent of Latinx people who could benefit from PrEP are actually prescribed the medication, leaving them at risk of HIV from unprotected sex and drug injection.
“PrEPmate will help REACH LA connect with young people who are most at risk for HIV infection and provide them with access to the services they need to stay healthy,” says Gabby. “Our goal is to build on success in L.A. County as we implement our go-to-market strategy that includes introducing PrEPmate to clinics and PrEP programs across the United States.”
