PHILADELPHIA—The Health Department announced a new service now available on their sexual health website, PhillyKeepOnLoving (PKOL): a searchable webpage to help residents and service providers find HIV treatment and prevention resources administered through the Philadelphia Department of Public Health.
 
PhillyKeeponLoving.com is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for community members and service providers to find essential resources. The resource finder is live now and can be accessed here in English and en español aquí.
 
“The Health Department funds and coordinates HIV prevention, care, and support throughout Philadelphia,” said Dr. Kathleen Brady, Director, Division of HIV Health, PDPH. “One crucial step on our path to ending the HIV epidemic is making resources available and easy to find. Our new PKOL HIV Resource Finder gives residents and service providers the tools they need to protect themselves and their communities.”
 
“The PKOL HIV Resource Finder allows me to take my health into my own hands,” said Keith Carter, Philadelphia Resident. “If I need support, I can search for it on my own using the tool from my phone. I can find legal services or a food bank in just a couple of clicks.”
 
“Working with Philadelphians impacted by HIV, every moment counts. The ability to quickly pinpoint a pertinent resource can be the deciding factor in whether or not a life-changing intervention is implemented,” said Mike Nees, Medical Case Manager, Penn Community Practice. “The PKOL HIV Resource Finder helps clear the fog that too often surrounds the service landscape.”
 
If a person has HIV, HIV care and support resources are available regardless of immigration status or ability to pay. These resources include help with necessities like food and housing, as well as support for managing HIV. In addition to the HIV Prevention and Care Resource Finder Tool, resources can be found at the Health Information Helpline at (215) 985-2437. Staff is available Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
 
HIV testing is available at primary care providers, at PDPH-administered HIV testing locations, or via a home testing kit. All resources can be found at Philly Keep on Loving.
 
If a person doesn’t have HIV, prevention resources are available and accessible. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a highly effective preventative treatment taken as a pill or an injectable that helps prevent HIV before a potential exposure. Both forms of PrEP are now easier to access than ever before, though Philadelphia’s PrEP Program.
 
If a person thinks they have been exposed to HIV in the prior 72 hours (three days), they can also get post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). PEP is a medicine you take for 28 days that can prevent HIV after you have been exposed. PEP must be started within 72 hours of exposure for it to work. Timing is key for PEP — the sooner you take it, the better. Access PEP by calling the PEP Hotline at (833) 933-2815.
 
All of these and more HIV prevention and care resources can be found by visiting the Health Department’s website.