Boston is Prepared Launch is Result of Groundbreaking Partnership
In a groundbreaking partnership with three other health centers and four local organizations, Codman created BostonisPrEPared.com to promote the availability of PrEP, a medication that helps prevent HIV. The partnership marks the first time in Boston that health centers have combined resources to promote HIV prevention options in Boston.
PrEP was first approved in 2012 as a medication that, when taken correctly, can reduce a person’s chance of contracting HIV by up to 99%. While its existence has contributed greatly to the decline in new HIV diagnosis rates in cities across America, its uptake has been slower than expected in Boston. To encourage more PrEP usage the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and some other organizations awarded grants to several health centers and agencies to promote PrEP usage.
The campaign was created after HIV leaders at Codman Square Health Center realized that health centers and agencies could make more of a public health impact if we pooled our resources with each other to promote the availability of PrEP. The campaign was designed with input from consumers and the collaborating organizations and coordination with MDPH.
The campaign features beautiful photos of several community members who talk about why they take PrEP. It also features a community member who is HIV positive who talks about what keeping up with his medication means to him. The photos were used in ads for BostonisPrEPared.com and posted on buses, train stations, billboards, and even wrapped subway cars.
Participating Health Centers
- Codman Square Health Center
- DotHouse Health
- Harbor Health
- Mattapan Community Health Center
- East Boston Neighborhood Community Health Center
Participating local agencies
- New England AIDS Education and Training Center
- Justice Resource Institute
- Multicultural AIDS Coalition (MAC)
