Partnership for Health – Safer Sex
Partnership for Health-Safer Sex (PfH-SS) is designed to improve patient-provider communication about safer sex, the disclosure of HIV status, and HIV prevention.

About Partnership for Health-Safer Sex
Partnership for Health-Safer Sex (PfH-SS) is a brief (three- to five-minute), clinic-based, individual-level, provider-administered intervention emphasizing the importance of the patient-provider relationship to promote healthy patient behaviors. The provider uses good communication techniques to assess patient’s risk behavior and message framing for patient-reported transmission behavior.
Intervention Goal
To improve patient-provider communication about safer sex, disclosure of HIV status, and HIV prevention.
Intervention Core Elements
- Providers delivering the intervention to HIV-positive patients in HIV outpatient clinics.
- The clinic adopting prevention as an essential component of patient care.
- All clinic staff trained to facilitate prevention counseling into standard practice.
- Waiting room posters and brochures used to reinforce prevention messages delivered by the provider.
- Supportive relationships built and maintained between the patient and the provider.
- During routine visits, the provider initiates at least a three- to five-minute discussion with the patient on protection, partner protection, and disclosure.
- Referrals provided for needs that require more extensive counseling and services.
Intervention Population
- HIV-positive patients
Partnership for Health-Safer Sex Training
There is no CDC-supported training currently available for Partnership for Health-Safer Sex. Technical assistance for the implementation of Partnership for Health-Safer Sex is available.
To request technical assistance:
- CDC’s directly funded health department and CBO partners may request technical assistance by submitting a request in the CBA Tracking System.
- Organizations not directly funded by CDC may contact their local health department for assistance in submitting a request.
If you have questions or need additional assistance, please contact HIVCBA@cdc.gov.
Implementation and Marketing Materials
The materials and resources listed below support the implementation and/or marketing of Partnership for Health-Safer Sex by health departments, community-based organizations, and health care or other organizations. The resources are evidence-based and designed for cost-effective, scalable implementation.
- Milam J, Richardson JL, McCutchan A, Stoyanoff S, Weiss J, Kemper C, Larsen RA, Hollander H, Weismuller P, Bolan R. Effect of a brief antiretroviral adherence intervention delivered by HIV care providers. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2005;40(3):356-363.