Overcoming Barriers to PrEP in Rural America

Volume 10, Issue 2

Overcoming Barriers to PrEP in Rural America

In this issue:

PrEP. For most patients, that’s a simple drug regimen that can be prescribed after a negative HIV screen. Safe. Effective. Proactive protection to stop the spread of HIV infection in MSM, cisgender, and transgender individuals.

But PrEP is considerably underused in rural populations. Why? What are the barriers to PrEP uptake in the rural US? Is it lack of knowledge that prevents rural Primary Care Clinicians from more strongly advocating treatment? Is it fear of HIV stigma that powers rural patients’ resistance to PrEP initiation?

How can we recognize these barriers and modify them to increase PrEP uptake in rural America?

Join guest author HIV Nurse Jenn Sobolik, from Complete Health in Rapid City South Dakota, as she discusses her experiences increasing PrEP use in the nonurban areas of America.

Learning objective:

Assess drivers of disparities in the HIV care continuum for residents of US rural areas and describe strategies to overcome them.

Author:

Jennifer A. Sobolik, MSN, CNP, FNP-C, AACRN, AAHIVS

Nurse Practitioner, Complete Health (formerly Community Health Center of the Black Hills)
Rapid City, SD

Guest Faculty Disclosures

Ms. Sobolik has indicated that she has no financial interests or relationships with an ineligible company.    

Unlabeled/Unapproved Uses

Ms. Sobolik has indicated that she will refer to unlabeled or unapproved uses of post-exposure prophylaxis.  

Program Directors:

Justin Alves, RN, FNP-BC, ACRN, CARN, CNE

Nurse Educator
Boston Medical Center
Boston, MA
(he/him/his)

Matthew Spinelli, MD, MAS

Associate Professor
HIV, ID, and Global Medicine
Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital
San Francisco, CA
(he/him/his)

Ethel D. Weld, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences
Division of Infectious Diseases
Division of Clinical Pharmacology
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Baltimore, MD
(she/her/hers)

Guest Faculty Disclosures:

Ms. Sobolik has indicated that she has no financial interests or relationships with an ineligible company.    

Unlabeled/Unapproved Uses:

Ms. Sobolik has indicated that she will refer to unlabeled or unapproved uses of post-exposure prophylaxis.  

Length of activity:

0.5 hour Physicians
0.5 contact hour Nurses

Launch date: August 14, 2025
Expiration date: August 13, 2027

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