HIV and AIDS

Our Approach to HIV and AIDS in Central Massachusetts and Beyond

At UMass Memorial Health, we offer compassionate, respectful care for people living with HIV or AIDS. Our knowledgeable and caring specialists can help you lead a productive and active life. We also specialize in helping patients with HIV/hepatitis C co-infection.

We never turn away anyone based on lack of health insurance or income. We offer the same level of care to patients without insurance through our Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) grant. Our case management staff can also enroll you in an HIV Drug Assistance Program (HDAP) to help pay for medications and health insurance premiums.

HIV and AIDS Treatments and Services

Antiretroviral Therapy (ART)

If you have HIV, you can lead a healthy life by taking daily medications known as ART. ART lowers the amount of HIV in your blood (viral load). If you have an undetectable viral load for at least six months, you can’t transmit HIV through sex (undetectable equals untransmittable, or U=U). Our specialists can tell you more about U=U and answer your questions.

Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP)

We may recommend medications called PReP to people who don’t have HIV but are at high risk of infection. When you take PReP daily and use safer sexual practices, the possibility of contracting HIV infection decreases by more than 90%. To be effective, you must take PrEP medications every day and see your health care provider for HIV testing every three months.

Advanced Care for Pregnant People With HIV

UMass Memorial offers specialized care for pregnant people with HIV. Our maternal-fetal medicine specialists are the region’s only providers with advanced training in high-risk obstetrics.

Our team recommends that all pregnant people get tested for HIV as a routine part of prenatal care. Early detection and treatment of HIV can dramatically reduce the chance of an infant being born infected with HIV.

Referrals to Other Health Services

Living with HIV can come with many other physical and emotional health challenges. We can refer you for other services within UMass Memorial depending on your needs, such as:

• Primary care
• Mental health
• Nutrition services
• Oral health
• Perinatal HIV care
• Women’s health services

Referrals to Other Assistance

Our case management staff can also help you with referrals to outside agencies, including:

• AIDS service organizations
• Housing programs
• Immigration assistance