WHEREAS, there has been much progress in the fight against HIV and AIDS, there still needs to be a tool to allow more access to life-saving medication known as PreP and PeP; and

WHEREAS, the Ending the HIV Epidemic plan was announced in 2019, aiming to end the HIV and AIDS epidemic by 2030; and

WHEREAS, in 2018, New York saw 2,481 new HIV cases; and

WHEREAS, this increase demands new policies to target at-risk populations with preventative treatments; and

WHEREAS, pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PreP, has been on the market under the name Truvada for a decade as a long-term daily pill that is highly effective at preventing new HIV transmissions; and

WHEREAS, Senate Bill S728, sponsored by New York State Senator Brad Hoylman, was introduced for the 2021-22 legislative session and was referred to the Higher Education Committee on Jan. 6, 2021; and

WHEREAS, Senate Bill S728 would allow pharmacists to dispense the medication before the patient receives a doctor’s prescription for a 60-day prescription; and

WHEREAS, this would allow people to access PreP even if they do not have a regular doctor, waiting for an appointment, just moved to a new place, or just became sexually active; and

WHEREAS, people of high-risk populations are unlikely to have a regular doctor and do not know how to gain access to the medication. This bill will allow New York to expand access to more residents, which will further reduce infections; therefore be it

RESOLVED, that the UFT will continue to advocate for its members who rely on these medications daily as a way of treatment or prevention, by continuing to negotiate the prices of our prescription drugs; and be it further

RESOLVED, that the UFT will contribute to the decline in new infections and eradication of HIV/AIDS by 2030 by continuously pressing the DOE to educate our students with appropriate and updated HIV/AIDS curriculum; and be it further

RESOLVED, that the UFT will continue to educate and inform its members of their healthcare benefits and affirms its commitment to the HIV/AIDS community by supporting this bill and urge its state affiliate NYSUT to help the UFT by pushing to get this bill passed in Albany.