Despite Pre-exposure prophylaxis, commonly known as PrEP, being a revolutionary medicine in the fight against HIV, there are many out there who should be on it but just aren’t. Whether it’s their budget, their time or their organisational skills, young people always seem to find an excuse not to be on PrEP. Thankfully, the folks over at Dean Street are making it easier than ever to get on it. They’ve teamed up with the guys at SweatBox Soho for PrEPBOX. It’s the very first PrEP outreach programme for young men taking place every Tuesday.
If you are under 25, HIV negative, having sex without condoms and willing to attend Dean Street Express quarterly then you are eligible for free PrEP! All they need from you is a blood test, a sexual health screen and a consent form and they can sign you up.
To find out more, we met up with Leigh Chislett, Clinic Manager of Dean Street Services, to talk about the PrEPBOX initiative.
Tell us about your brand new initiative PrEPBOX, launching this March!
56 Dean Street has teamed up with Sweatbox Gym & Sauna to launch “PrEPBOX”, the first PrEP outreach programme for young men. From Tuesday the 3rdof March, Sweatbox will be hosting staff from 56 Dean Street every week who will assess, counsel, and prescribe PrEP to young men who are eligible for PrEPBOX.
The most radical part of “PrEPBOX” is that we will be dispensing PrEP for FREE on the spot in the sauna to eligible patrons.
If you are under 25, having sex without condoms, willing to have regular sexual health screening, you are eligible to be part of PrEPBOX.
Free on the spot! Why is it important that gay venues get involved in the push for better sexual health?
The hubs of our community such as bars, theatres, clubs, and saunas are important places to spread information to keep the community connected but also to drum up support from within for different issues queer people are facing. When it comes to sexual health, it makes sense to take the services where it is needed such as gay saunas.
Outreach initiatives such as the 56 Dean Street STI/HIV testing that happen every Monday in Sweatbox are effective ways to deliver sexual health services and convenient for guys who don’t have easy access to their local clinic.
PrEPBOX is the next big initiative aiming to reduce HIV diagnoses among young gay/men who have sex with men.
What inspired you to get in on the fight advocating for wider PrEP use?
The challenge of HIV is ever-changing, and recently there has been great strides made with huge reductions in HIV diagnosis in nearly everyone. But at 56 Dean Street, gay men under the age of 25 have not had a similar drop in new HIV diagnoses.
Dean Street’s Generation Zero campaign launched a JustGiving campaign to raise funds to make PrEP available for free to young gay men who need it and the community have raised nearly £40,000 in response (https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/56deanstreet).
PrEP feel like such a game-changer but a lot of people aren’t on it. Why do you think that is?
More and more people are hearing about PrEP and we have seen thousands of new patients at 56 Dean Street sign up to our PrEPShop the last few months.
Access to PrEP can still be difficult for people who live further from the city or in rural parts of the country with underdeveloped sexual health services. Knowledge and understanding of PrEP is slowly growing but some people haven’t heard much about it or don’t even know it exists! The financial burden also poses a barrier to some people who just can’t afford to pay for a repeat prescription. Our Generation Zero fundraising has allowed us to fund PrEPBOX in partnership with Sweatbox with the aim of removing any financial barrier for young gay men.
Many people like the idea of going on PrEP, but find it either too expensive or too much of a hassle. How will PrEPBOX help with those misconceptions?
PrEPBOX will make access to PrEP very simple. For men who attend Sweatbox on Tuesday evenings, it is a one-stop-shop to be reviewed by a doctor, counselled about how to use PrEP, and have a prescription written and filled on the spot.
The PrEP is provided free of charge to eligible participants thanks to the generous donors of the Generation Zero campaign. Under 25-year-old gay men can also walk into Dean Street Express and ask for Generation ZERO funded PrEP.
What are you hoping you’ll achieve with PrEPBOX?
PrEPBOX is going to help reduce HIV in young gay men in London. We are increasing access, understanding, and use of PrEP among under 25’s, the group most at risk of being left behind while other ages see huge strides forward in the fight to get HIV transmission to zero.
PrEPBOX is launching on Tuesday 3rd March, 5pm – 8pm at SweatBox Sauna, 1-2 Ramillies Street, Soho W1F 7LN.
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