ST PAUL, Minn. — U.S. Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) said she's impressed with the work being done at Rainbow Health in the Twin Cities to prevent HIV, but is convinced much more must be done on a national level to improve access to medication that can ward off the virus.
Smith held a roundtable at the nonprofit's St. Paul offices Friday to hear more about the barriers the LGBTQ+ population face in getting the life-saving drug known as PrEP or pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV.
She plans to reintroduce a bill later this month requiring insurance companies to cover the cost of these drugs and ancillary services required for those taking them.
"The PrEP should be free, but not only the medicine but other services, lab fees that can be those add-ons people get," Smith told the group.
She asserts the medication is in a category of drugs that, by federal law, should have already been made available at no or low cost because they're highly effective at preventing sexually transmitted HIV.
The medications, developed by drug maker Gilead Sciences, are now sold under the brand name Descovy. The company's earlier version of the drug is marketed as Truvada.
Some have trouble talking to their physicians about writing a prescription, that's cost can be a major barrier for anyone who can't get help paying for it.
"It cost almost $2,000 a month just to take the drug, plus you have to see a doctor and there are lab tests on a regular basis," Jeremy Hanson Willis, Rainbow Health's CEO, explained.
"That’s why Rainbow Health created our free telehealth clinic focused on PrEP so that anyone in Minnesota can get access to this life-saving medication, at no cost to them. They can see our doctor and work with our pharmacy all through telehealth and get on PrEP in a matter of days."
Rainbow Health has been providing healthcare and prevention since 1983 and has broadened its scope of services to include mental health and substance abuse counseling geared to the LGBTQ+ population.
More than 9,000 Minnesotans are living with HIV, according to the Minnesota Department of Health, and roughly 300 new cases are diagnosed every year. Two-thirds of the new cases identify as persons of color.
Some of the largest recent outbreaks have occurred in homeless encampments, which is why Rainbow sends outreach workers into those spaces to offer help with HIV prevention and fresh syringes.
"I’m happy to say there are now dozens of organizations across the state that help IV drug users give us their dirty needles in exchange for clean syringes and get access to HIV testing and other health information at the same time," Hanson Willis told KARE.
Another jarring stat that came up during the roundtable involved LGBTQ+ youth mental health.
"Every 45 seconds in America an LGBTQ youth attempts suicide," Sue Abderholden, the executive director of NAMI Minnesota, told the group.
"A lot of parents call seeking LGBTQ-friendly mental health resources."
She said one very positive development is that the 988 suicide crisis hotline now includes an option for LGBTQ youth
Raquel Sidie-Wagner said teens are being traumatized both by personal interactions with unsupportive people, as well as what they're reading and seeing in the media about the backlash against LGBTQ persons in other states.
"As wonderful as it was to see the trans refuge bill passed here, you still know what you heard in debate from others who are also here in Minnesota."