Heidi Ortiz
Lead PrEP & HIV Benefits Coordinator & Linkage Navigator
Spanish
Pronouns: She/her/hers
PrEP & PEP
Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) are highly effective ways to prevent HIV using medication. Services for both medications are available through Magnet, our sexual health clinic program, and include lab tests, dosage instructions, prescriptions, benefits navigation, and adherence support.
Magnet PrEP care enrollment
Available to first-time Magnet PrEP clients only. Enrollment visits can be booked through our client portal. If you’re having trouble finding an appointment that fits your schedule, please call us.
What to expect:
- PrEP care enrollment visit may take up to two hours.
- Includes a comprehensive medical evaluation, including tests for HIV, other STIs, and a metabolic panel.
- Information on ways to pay for PrEP through patient assistance programs and insurance benefits.
- Prescription for PrEP upon enrollment in the Magnet PrEP program.
- Follow-up call three days after enrollment visit.
Please note: We are unable to prescribe PrEP for persons covered by Kaiser Permanente, TRICARE, or Veterans Health Administration benefits. If you are unable to get PrEP through your authorized provider, please contact us for additional resources and options.
Follow-up PrEP visits
Follow-up visits can be booked through our client portal. Follow-up PrEP care begins one month after the enrollment visit, then once every three months.
What to expect:
- Self-swab for STIs
- Blood sample
PrEP prescription refills
If you have run out of prescription refills from your pharmacist, contact Magnet PrEP Navigation Services.
Magnet PrEP Insurance Program
In partnership with American Exchange, uninsured Magnet PrEP program clients may qualify for subsidized health insurance coverage.
PrEP payment assistance
PrEP medication is available for free or at a significantly reduced cost.
If you are uninsured, and have an annual income of less than 500% of the Federal Poverty Line ($63,000), you are eligible to get PrEP medication for free.
If you are insured, copay assistance programs are available, as insurance will usually cover part of your PrEP cost, and you may be required to pay a prescription copay at the pharmacy. (PrEP medication prescribed in our clinic will be billed to your insurance through a pharmacy like Walgreens.)
If you have insurance through Kaiser, TRICARE, or VA Health Benefits, contact your member services to enroll in their PrEP programs as these plans require prescriptions from authorized providers within their networks. If you are unable to get PrEP through an authorized provider, please contact Magnet PrEP Navigation Services for additional resources and options.
Restart Magnet PrEP care
Contact Magnet PrEP Navigation Services to schedule an appointment.
Magnet PrEP Navigation Team
Jonathon Salinas
Lead PrEP & HIV Benefits Coordinator & Linkage Navigator
Spanish
Pronouns: He/him/his
Leo Dominguez
PrEP & HIV Benefits Coordinator & Linkage Navigator
Pronouns: They/them/theirs
Alton Lou
PrEP & HIV Benefits Coordinator & Linkage Navigator
Stefan Madzar
PrEP & HIV Benefits Coordinator & Linkage Navigator
Pronouns: They/he
Breanna Sinclaire, MM
PrEP & HIV Benefits Coordinator & Linkage Navigator
Pronouns: She/her/hers
We offer PEP on a limited basis. Please call to confirm availability. Phone: 415-581-1600, #3
PEP for HIV exposure
What is PEP?
PEP is used in emergency situations in which a person may have been exposed to HIV in the previous 72 hours.
What are the ways I can be exposed to HIV?
- Have you been sexually assaulted?
- Did you have sex without a condom with someone who is not virally suppressed or whose HIV status you don’t know?
- Did the condom break during sex?
- Have you shared needles or works to prepare drugs (cookers, cotton, water) with someone?
- Did you get stuck with a needle?
If any of these scenarios apply to you, talk to your healthcare provider or go to an emergency room right away. PEP works best if you take it within 72 hours of exposure to HIV.
How does PEP work?
- PEP consists of 2 to 3 antiretroviral medications that are taken for 28 days.
- PEP is safe but may cause side effects like nausea in some people. These side effects can be treated and are not life-threatening.
- PEP is not 100% effective; it does not guarantee that someone exposed to HIV will not become infected with HIV.
- After you start PEP, make sure you take your meds. PEP does not work if you do not take the medications.
- Continue to use condoms with sex partners while taking PEP and do not use injection equipment that has been used by others. This will help avoid transmitting HIV to others if PEP does not work.
- Return to your healthcare provider for more HIV testing about one month, three months, and six months after the potential exposure to HIV. Your healthcare provider will give you a follow-up schedule.
Can anyone get PEP?
PEP is for HIV-negative people who may have been exposed to HIV during a single event.
PEP is not a substitute for other effective HIV prevention methods, such as correct and consistent condom use, PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) or use of sterile injection equipment.
How much does PEP cost?
PEP services, with the month-long medication treatment, are provided for free.
I’m visiting from another country and I am running out of PrEP. Can you help?
Contact Magnet PrEP Navigation Services for information about refills and payment options for PrEP.