Washington Lawmakers Pass Bill to Ensure Access to Emergency HIV Prevention
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Olympia, WA — The Washington State Legislature gave final approval today to legislation that will help make sure sexual-assault survivors, first responders, and others who may need emergency HIV prevention medications can get them.
Senate Bill 6127 addresses the many barriers that Washingtonians currently face when they require HIV post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), a combination of medications that can prevent HIV infection if it’s taken within 72 hours of exposure to the virus. These barriers include doctors not knowing how to prescribe PEP, pharmacies not stocking the medications used for PEP, and insurance companies charging high co-pays for the drugs.
SB 6127 tackles these issues by requiring hospitals to adopt a policy on PEP and provide the time-sensitive medications to patients in the emergency room. The measure also mandates that insurance companies make at least one form of PEP available to their members without a co-pay. Overcoming opposition by the Washington State Hospital Association, the legislation makes Washington only the second state to require PEP dispensing in ERs.
In public hearings on SB 6127, Joanna Shelton, a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE), shared a story that starkly illustrated the need for the bill, especially in rural areas:
Last year, a woman was raped on one of the San Juan Islands. The SANE nurse assessed the victim’s assault as being very high risk for HIV. The hospital stocked a starting dose of PEP, but the island pharmacy would not be able to get the remaining medication in time. The only way to get this victim her medication was for the SANE nurse to take the prescription to a mainland pharmacy that stocked it and deliver it to a medical transport plane, which flew it to the hospital. It should not be this hard to provide such a life-altering medication.
Cascade AIDS Project, the leading provider of HIV-prevention services in Southwest Washington, proposed the concept for SB 6127. “We have a front-row seat to the many roadblocks people encounter when they need PEP,” said Jonathan Frochtzwajg, the agency’s Public Policy & Grants Manager. “Thanks to this bill, Washingtonians who have experienced a trauma like sexual assault will no longer be forced to scramble to get their hands on this vital HIV prevention tool.”
Sen. Marko Liias (21st District—Edmonds) served as the bill’s chief sponsor. “We've advanced so far in treatment when it comes to exposure to HIV, but time is of the essence when it comes to effectively preventing infection,” he said. “This bill will address two major barriers to treatment — availability and cost. I’m proud we were able to get it across the finish line this year.”
For more information on SB 6127, please contact Jonathan Frochtzwajg at jfrochtzwajg@capnw.org or (503) 278-3852.
About Cascade AIDS Project
Founded in 1983 and incorporated in 1985 as the Cascade AIDS Project, CAP is the oldest and largest community-based provider of HIV services, housing, education and advocacy in Oregon and Southwest Washington. We promote well-being and advance equity by providing inclusive health and wellness services for LGBTQ+ people, people affected by HIV, and all those seeking compassionate care. When the need for affordable, accessible, and culturally affirming primary care services was identified as a community need, we responded by opening Prism Health in 2017. And in 2022, Our House of Portland joined the CAP family to further expand our service offerings and allow us to offer a full lifecycle of care to our community. To learn more about CAP, please visit www.capnw.org
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