Policy Brief

This Brief provides an update to the Southern California HIV/AIDS Policy Research Center policy brief Examining Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Uptake among Medi-Cal Beneficiaries in California. It provides additional information related to PrEP utilization at the intersection of race/ethnicity and sex. These data show that the number of Medi-Cal beneficiaries receiving PrEP in California continued to […]

Food resource utilization among PLWH in Alameda County is not well understood. Project Open Hand (POH), a long-established food resource for PLWH in the Bay Area, serves medically tailored meals to PLWH in Alameda County. This brief report discusses the barriers and facilitators to POH utilization at their Oakland-based grocery center, and provides recommendations to […]

Prior authorization requirements have been considered a successful cost containment strategy for health insurance companies. However, previous research indicates that such requirements have negative impacts on medication access and patient adherence. California Senate Bill 159 is a current proposal to prohibit health plans and insurers from requiring prior authorization and step therapy requirements for Pre-exposure […]

Increasing access to HIV pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP/PEP) is a high priority to achieve the goals of the Ending the HIV Epidemic Initiative. Broadening the scope of practice to allow pharmacists to be more involved in the delivery of PrEP/PEP may generate greater access, particularly in communities where physicians and other primary care providers […]

A summary of California laws related to HIV/AIDS, intended to provide an overview of the current state of the law as of March 2019. This summary covers the state of the law on topics such as HIV testing and linkages to care, privacy and confidentiality, criminalization, discrimination, needle and syringe exchange programs, and comprehensive sex […]

From 2010 to 2016, disparities have increased in terms of overall rates of new HIV diagnoses among California’s Latino men who have sex with men (MSM). In 2010, Latino and White MSM had fairly similar HIV rates — 17.3 new MSM cases per 100,000 White males and 20.2 per 100,000 Latino males. By 2016, rates […]

More people living with HIV (PLWH) now have their medical care covered by Medi-Cal thanks to the program’s expansion. Although the change is welcomed, it also has created challenges for those who need mental health or substance use services. In research recently published in Health Affairs, the Northern California HIV Policy Research Center found that […]

The 340B Drug Pricing Program allows safety net health care entities to access discounts on medications they provide, and to use the savings to invest in expanded programs and services. This study characterizes current use of the 340B Program by health care entities that serve people living with HIV and vulnerable to HIV in California, […]

Transgender men and others on the transmasculine spectrum have been largely excluded from HIV prevention research, policy, and practice. The Transmasculine Sexual Health and Reproductive Justice Research Study was part of a community-based participatory research project that engaged diverse transmasculine people and their healthcare providers to better understand their health needs, concerns, and priorities, including […]

After years of decline, sexually transmitted infections are increasing at alarming rates. The national rate of reported primary and secondary syphilis was over four times greater in 2016 than it had been in 2000. Syphilis cases increased by 18% between 2015 and 2016 alone. Much of this growth is attributable to cases among men who […]