CDC’s New #ShesWell Initiative Aims to Increase PrEP Awareness among Women and Their Healthcare Providers

CDC’s Let’s Stop HIV Together (Together) campaign recently launched a new initiative called #ShesWell, which is focused on increasing awareness about Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among women, building capacity among clinicians to prescribe PrEP to women who can benefit from it, and ultimately increasing PrEP use among women.  The #ShesWell initiative initially launched in June 2021 in four Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. (EHE) jurisdictions: Tampa/St. Petersburg, FL; Orlando, FL; Fort Worth, TX; and Columbus, OH.

The resources for women aim to educate them about the benefits of PrEP, to encourage them to seek more information, and to engage in discussions with their health care providers to determine if PrEP is right for them. Implementation includes both organic and paid social media efforts, and ads on dating apps, digital web banners, digital radio, and video streams.

The #ShesWell initiative for clinicians aims to raise awareness among health care providers about the benefits of PrEP as a powerful tool to prevent new HIV infections among women; encourage and empower clinicians to talk to their female patients about whether PrEP is right for them and prescribe PrEP if appropriate; and provide tools and resources highlighting CDC’s PrEP guidelines and recommendations so that clinicians can make PrEP services a routine part of care.

#ShesWell will engage clinicians through provider publications and professional organization email listservs, distribution of a refreshed CDC PrEP resource kit to clinics, promotion of digital advertisements for clinician offices and waiting rooms, and social media advertising.

Newly developed resources from the #ShesWell project will be available via the Together site later in 2021.

For more information about the Let’s Stop HIV Together (LSHT) campaign, visit CDC's website to find resources and Together partners that support efforts to stop HIV stigma and promote HIV testing, prevention, and treatment. treatment.