HIM is a nonprofit society that aims to strengthen the health and well-being in communities of self-identified GBQ men and gender diverse people in BC.
The Pilot Project
The BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) has launched an 18-month pilot project called Non-occupational Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (NPEP), which will ensure that PEP is available at sites in Metro Vancouver to those at high risk of HIV exposure.
The NPEP pilot project provides treatment access to individuals who are at high risk of HIV as a result of exposure to blood and body fluids from consensual sex or injection drug use. For more than 15 years, BC-CfE has provided PEP to those exposed to HIV through occupational exposure or to victims of sexual assault.
Individuals are eligible for HIV Non-occupational Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (NPEP) if:
• Exposure occurred within the past 72 hours.
• The potentially exposed person is not infected or not known to be infected with HIV.
• The exposure has occurred through sexual contact or needle sharing.
• The source of exposure is HIV-infected, or the HIV status is unknown but the source belongs to an HIV risk group.
• Exposure is non-work related and not the result of sexual assault.
Participants accessing PEP through the NPEP Pilot Project will be asked to participate in a research study aimed at learning more about individuals who seek PEP. This study is optional; qualified participants will be given NPEP regardless of their decision to participate in the study.
For more information about the NPEP Pilot Project, including clinical guidelines, please visit the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS. For a list of locations offering PEP, click here.