Prevention 305

Although the United States has been experiencing declines in the number of new HIV infections, this does not hold true for Miami-Dade County. Nearly half of all HIV cases are now in minority communities in the Southern states, and Miami's rate of HIV infection is nearly four times that of the U.S. average, with men who have sex with me continuing to carry the majority of the burden at 71% of new infections. Neighborhoods with the greatest number of cases include South Beach, Wynwood, and Little Haiti.

Prevention 305 aims to end the dual epidemics of HIV and HIV stigma by bringing knowledge and empowerment to those in South Florida vulnerable to HIV. With UPTAKE (United Peers Take Action to Knockout the Epidemic), Prevention 305 addresses the high HIV incidence rates in Miami and Broward through highly-targeted dating app and social media engagement. UPTAKE is comprised of a network of Peer Navigators of color who provide bilingual peer-to-peer communication on social media and dating apps about PrEP, HIV/STI testing and treatment. Navigators travel to zip codes of high HIV incidence and engage locally with individuals about PrEP, the daily HIV prevention pill. UPTAKE Navigators accompany clients to appointments for support and encouragement, and supply transportation services (Lyft) to individuals in need. UPTAKE's Navigators mirror our target population: 20% are African American and 80% are Latinx. All are between 18 and 35, allowing them a cultural fluency unmatched by any agency in South Florida working on PrEP. This "mobile-first" strategy allows us county-wide projection without physical locations and has proven a targeted and financially efficient approach.