Kenyon provides a number of resources to foster HIV prevention on campus. Explore some of the resources below, including free safer sex supplies, inclusive safer sex information, pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP, and post-exposure prophylaxis or PEP.
Free safer sex supplies are available at a number of campus locations, including the Cox Health and Counseling Center, the Crozier Center for Women, and Unity House. At both the Crozier Center for Women and Unity House, free safer sex supplies — such as latex and non-latex condoms, insertable condoms, water-based and silicone-based lubricant, and dental dams — are available.
Additionally, both the Crozier Center for Women and Unity House offer free safer sex kits, which come with the following items conveniently packaged together: information about safer sex practices and affirmative consent, multiple condoms, a sachet of lubricant, information about how to use a condom, and tips for how to discuss sexual history with a partner.
To pick up your free safer sex supplies, stop by any of these locations and simply take what you need.
Kenyon strives to ensure that all members of the campus community have comprehensive and inclusive information about sexual health and well-being. Information about practical safer sex practices, healthy relationships and HIV/STI prevention are available across campus.
The Crozier Center for Women and Unity House have a variety of inclusive resources about safer sex practices, including information about different types of lubricant, condoms and relationship communication. Both also offer inclusive and non-stigmatizing information about HIV and STIs and information about pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).
Comprehensive and inclusive information about safer sex is also available through the Cox Health and Counseling Center. The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion has partnered with the center to host on-going training opportunities, often led by the staff at Equitas Health. The partnership is a part of a continued commitment to ensure that our campus provides comprehensive and inclusive information about sexual health and well-being to all students.
Knowing your HIV status is important for your own sexual and physical health, in addition to the health of your sexual partner(s). At Kenyon, HIV testing is provided at the Cox Health and Counseling Center.
Currently, we are also working with community partners to provide more frequent, confidential HIV testing clinics to campus at no charge. For more information on these upcoming HIV testing clinics, refer to the Kenyon events calendar.
Additionally, students and community members may also request a free, at-home HIV test kit from the Ohio HIV Hotline.
PrEP or pre-exposure prophylaxis, prescribed as the drug Truvada, is a once a day pill to reduce your risk of acquiring HIV, even if you come into contact with the virus. It is not a replacement for safer sex tools like condoms, but it can be a part of a safer sex strategy, before sexual contact occurs.
For more information on PrEP, speak to your medical provider. To schedule an on-campus appointment to learn more about PrEP, contact the Cox Health and Counseling Center. To schedule a telehealth appointment to learn more about PrEP, contact Equitas Health’s new TelePrEP Program. To confidentially discuss how to access resources available in the area, contact the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
For students with Kenyon’s health insurance plan, Truvada is classified as a Tier II drug, but it is only covered for HIV treatment, rather than for prevention. However, students with Kenyon’s health insurance plan can still obtain Truvada for PrEP for as low as $0/month.
Gilead Sciences, the manufacturer of Truvada, has a patient assistance program for persons with health insurance plans that do not cover Truvada as PrEP. By completing a short and straightforward enrollment form, students can apply for Gilead Sciences to fully cover the prescription costs for Truvada as PrEP.
There are also a number of patient assistance programs at the federal and state level to offset the costs of PrEP. In Ohio, the Dept. of Health has launched a program, Prevention Assistance Program Interventions (PAPI), which is a state-wide PrEP assistance program. Information about accessing this resource is available from the Ohio HIV Hotline.
Additionally, there is a new federal program, Ready, Set, PrEP, from the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services. This program can assist enrollees with finding a provider, offsetting the costs of PrEP for qualified individuals, and more.
The staff at the Cox Health and Counseling Center and the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion can assist students with completing this form and accessing this free benefit from Gilead Sciences.
For students with a different health insurance plan, Truvada as PrEP may or may not be covered. If it is not covered, please follow the steps detailed above. If it is covered and there is a cost associated with it, students can sign up for a free co-pay coupon card from Gilead Sciences, which can lower the cost to as low as $0/month.
The staff at the Cox Health and Counseling Center and the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion can assist students with completing this form and accessing this free benefit from Gilead Sciences.
PEP or post-exposure prophylaxis, commonly prescribed as Truvada and Isentress, is a set of medications that can be taken after possible exposure to HIV. These medications help decrease your risk of becoming HIV-positive, even after exposure. Generally, a round of PEP is prescribed for roughly 28 days to ensure optimal effectiveness.
PEP is not a replacement for other safer sex tools like condoms, but it can be part of your safer sex strategy, if you believe you may have come into contact with HIV (i.e. through unprotected sex, condom breakage, etc.). According to the CDC, PEP is highly effective and works best when taken 24-72 hours after possible exposure to HIV. Remember, the sooner you take PEP, the better.
At Kenyon, PEP can be acquired by visiting the emergency room at Knox Community Hospital in Mount Vernon or by contacting Equitas Health in Columbus. As PEP needs to be administered within the first 72 hours of possible exposure to HIV, please access this resource as quickly as possible. Upon leaving the emergency room or medical provider's office, you may be provided with either a prescription or a volume of medication deemed appropriate by the provider. To ensure your ability to cover the costs of the medication, it is highly recommended that you 1) familiarize yourself with your insurance coverage, as it applies to PEP, and 2) consult the resources linked below.
For students needing financial assistance as it relates to PEP, please contact either the Cox Health and Counseling Center and/or the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion during college business hours. Learn more about financial resources to reduce the cost of PEP.
To confidentially discuss how to access resources available in the area, stop by either the Cox Health and Counseling Center or the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
In addition to providing a number of tools to foster HIV prevention on campus, Kenyon College has a student health insurance plan that offers comprehensive care for students who are HIV-positive.
Under our student health insurance plan, the following are Tier I drugs, meaning they are $10/month: abacavir-lamivudine, lamivudine, zidovudine, nevirapine ER, and nevirapine. Additionally, our student health insurance plan also covers the following Tier II drugs, which are $30/month: Isentress HD, Isentress, Norvir, Prezista, Selzentry, and Truvada. Finally, our student health insurance plan covers the following Tier III drugs for $50/month: Atripla, Complera, Descovy, Evotaz, Genvoya, Intelence, Odefsey, Prezcobix, Reyataz, Stribild, Sustiva, Tivicay, Triumeq, and Viread.
If you are an HIV-positive student and have questions about these drugs, speak to your medical provider or contact Equitas Health in Columbus. To confidentially discuss how to access resources available in the area, stop by the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion or contact ODEI Associate Director Timothy Bussey at bussey1@kenyon.edu.