By Indigo Quashie 

SPRINGFIELD – On April 7th, 2022, HB4430: Increasing Access to PrEP & PEP Through Community Pharmacies was passed by the Illinois House with a vote of 72-30! Sponsored by State Representative Kelly M. Cassidy (D-Chicago), HB4430 calls for the pharmaceutical dispensation of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), which are both highly effective preventative medications that protect people from contracting HIV. The next and final legislative step for this bill is its transition to Governor Pritzker’s desk, where we expect him to sign it into law.

Once signed into law, HB4430 would enact the following reforms:

  • Allow pharmacists, under a standing order of a licensed physician, to administer and dispense lifesaving pre-and post-exposure prophylaxis medication and care to the communities most vulnerable to HIV.
  • Aid pharmacists in referring individuals to ongoing preventative care and giving them the ability to connect patients to laboratories for additional tests to determine if PrEP is the most appropriate course of care. Pharmacists will continue to facilitate connections to ongoing medical care and social support services.

With Governor Pritzker’s signature, Illinois will become the 8th state to increase HIV preventative medication accessibility through pharmacies. “Increasing access to PrEP and PEP is a key component of the Getting to Zero Illinois plan to end the HIV epidemic by 2030. Extending access to these proven and highly effective prevention tools to the Black, Latinx, and LGBTQ+ communities most impacted by HIV allows us to address one of the main drivers of the epidemic, HIV-related stigma, in a meaningful way”, shared Timothy S. Jackson, AIDS Foundation Chicago’s (AFC) Director of Government Relations.

Thank you to State Representatives Kelly Cassidy, Margaret Croke (D-Chicago), and Greg Harris (D-Chicago), in addition to State Senator Mike Simmons (D-Chicago) for championing this important legislation through the Illinois General Assembly.

AIDS Foundation Chicago is proud to have partnered with the Illinois Pharmacists Association, Howard Brown Health, Equality Illinois, the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, Walgreens, Avita Pharmacy, Community Renewal Society, and other stakeholders on this critical legislation.

To stay updated on the status of this bill, as well as our other 2022 policy priorities, sign up for our Action Alerts!