What is PrEP?
PrEP is a medication that is taken daily to prevent HIV transmission to people NOT living with HIV and requires regular STBBI testing every three months to renew the prescription. Your Alberta Health Care coverage covers PrEP.
How do I get PrEP?
There is a list of PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) providers in Alberta, although only a limited number of providers are currently accepting new patients.
This means navigating the health care system can be challenging, and finding a doctor is challenging for many Albertans. If you cannot find your health care provider or another provider option in your community on the list, there is another option.
Freddie is an online PrEP clinic that provides access to PrEP through its online service. You can check out Freddie to access your PrEP through their convenient online clinic here.
If you want to access PrEP in person, you need to reach out to a healthcare provider. There are multiple resources on how to access PrEP in Alberta that you can access here:
What is PEP?
PEP (Post-exposure prophylaxis) is a combination of HIV treatment medications that are taken for 28 days to prevent HIV infection and must be taken within 72 hours of exposure to be effective.
How do I get PEP?
PEP is accessed through the emergency department of your community hospital and is most often prescribed for occupational exposures and persons who have been sexually assaulted.
As the risk of HIV transmission from a needlestick injury is so low, PEP is rarely indicated for cold needlestick injuries in the community. The Government of Alberta (March 2019) Alberta Guidelines for Post Exposure Management and Prophylaxis are here.
Need help?
We encourage people to contact our Medicine Hat or Calgary offices with questions about PrEP and PEP access and information. Our friendly and nonjudgmental staff may be able to connect you with a PrEP practitioner in your community. You can also call 811 for more details.
Sign up for our newsletter.
Please click the button below to provide your consent to receive messages SafeLink Alberta. This is important so you don’t miss out on updates about our events, presentations, programs and services.
Thank you!
By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: . You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact