Prevention IS Care is a national communications campaign developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in support of its Advancing HIV Prevention initiative. CDC has launched the campaign to inform health care providers of the importance of prevention with persons living with HIV. Every new infection comes from a person already living with HIV.

The goal of the campaign is to increase the number of health care providers who integrate HIV prevention into their routine medical care of people with HIV—ultimately, impacting the adoption of a new “standard of care” for those who treat persons living with HIV. In addition, the Prevention IS Care campaign strives to equip those living with HIV with information to help them protect themselves and others.

Who is the audience for Prevention IS Care?

Primary audiences include:

• infectious disease specialists,
• primary care providers who treat people with HIV,
• nurse practitioners and nurses treating people with HIV,
• community health centers and public health clinics treating people with HIV,
• medical students, and
• people living with HIV/AIDS.

What products or resources are available through the Prevention IS Care campaign?

Materials such as posters, charts, and screening tools are offered to health care providers to help them incorporate prevention into their routine care of persons living with HIV.

For those living with HIV, materials are also available that describe steps they can take to stay healthy and protect the health of others.

This Web site provides access to downloadable campaign materials as well as relevant HIV/AIDS articles and MMWRs, media coverage, testimonial videos, and links to other resources. In addition, through this Web site, providers can learn about workshops and other opportunities to obtain continuing education credits.

Materials may also be ordered through the CDC National Prevention Information Network (NPIN); by emailing info@cdcnpin.org; or by calling 1-800-458-5231.

Is the campaign affiliated only with the CDC?

No. In order to expand the reach of this campaign, partnerships have been developed with key health and HIV/AIDS organizations such as the HIV Medicine Association, and the American Academy of HIV Medicine.

The campaign content is based on the CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) “Incorporating HIV prevention into the Medical Care of Persons Living with HIV", which is the consensus recommendation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Health Resources and Services Administration, the National Institutes of Health, and the HIV Medicine Association of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, and is the foundation for the evidence-based materials developed in the campaign.

Can health care providers really make a difference in changing patient behavior?

Yes. Research has shown that health care providers do influence their patients’ behaviors. Open communication during office visits between providers and those living with HIV can make a difference in the adoption of HIV prevention behaviors.