HIV is a life-threatening virus that damages the body’s immune system and leaves a person vulnerable to opportunistic infections. Without treatment, it can lead to AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome).
Finding out your HIV status is the most important step in keeping you, and those you care about, safe.
The Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County has developed a comprehensive program for preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS and for providing care and treatment to those living with the virus. This comprehensive approach includes surveillance, education, prevention, counseling, testing, care, and treatment.
Our work primarily focuses on Area 6, which covers Hernando, Hillsborough, and Manatee counties.
We manage contracts delivering essential services:
Diagnose: Early Detection and Linkage
Our office supports efforts to make HIV testing routine and accessible. This includes training counselors, evaluating testing sites with our community partners for traditional health care and non-traditional settings. We also use innovative methods like mobile testing and HIV home test kits.
Treat: Access to Care, Retention, and Viral Suppression
We work with community partners to ensure people living with HIV (PWH) can access and stay engaged in high-quality care. This involves supporting Florida’s protocols for rapid access to medication.
Prevent: Education and Prevention
Through contracted providers and community engagement, we support HIV prevention tailored to local needs. Reducing stigma through education and community outreach.
Respond: Addressing HIV Transmission Networks
Our office supports the state and local partners in efforts to identify and respond effectively to HIV transmission networks. This is where the network monitoring care response team helps to prioritize resources for communities to make the greatest impact.
Our Commitment to Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) in Florida
This involves ensuring that everyone with HIV is diagnosed early, receives Linkage to care to achieve viral suppression by making the virus undetectable and therefore untransmittable: U=U, preventing new transmissions through proven strategies like PrEP, and responding effectively to local transmission patterns.
The program primarily focuses on prevention, patient care, specialty care, ADAP, pharmacy, and surveillance.
Resources
- Center for Disease Control – HIV/AIDS
CDC resource for comprehensive HIV information - National Prevention Information Network
Source for CDC HIV prevention educational materials - West Central Florida Ryan White Care Council
Planning council for HIV care services in the eight-county West Central Florida region
Information for Health Care Providers
- HIV Genotype Testing – 8/31/2024
- HIV 500/501 Letter – 4/1/2025
- HIV 500/501 Trainings Dates – (Some information may be outdate; please refer to the most recent letter)