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If a possible HIV exposure happened within the last 72 hours, seek urgent evaluation now at an emergency department, a clinic that provides PEP, or your healthcare provider. Say what happened and when. CDC recommends starting indicated PEP as soon as possible, ideally within 24 hours and no later than 72 hours, for a 28-day course. Call ahead only if doing so will not delay care.[1][10]
The 72-hour clock
CDC recommends starting PEP as soon as possible after a substantial-risk exposure—ideally within 24 hours and no later than 72 hours. A clinician assesses the exposure, source information and any PrEP use to decide whether PEP is appropriate. Do not wait until the end of the 72-hour window.[10][1][3]
Seek evaluation now rather than waiting for a routine appointment or an office to reopen. Baseline HIV testing is part of care, but the first indicated PEP dose should not be delayed for laboratory results. The recommended course is 28 days.[10][1]
Where to go right now
CDC's instruction is to talk right away to your health care provider, an emergency room doctor, or an urgent care provider about PEP if you think you've recently been exposed to HIV[1]. Florida adds county health departments to the list: contact your local hospital emergency room, urgent care clinic, or local county health department for PEP evaluation and treatment[3].
- Emergency room — open now, and the most dependable option overnight or on a weekend.
- Urgent care — availability and fees vary. Ask whether the clinic can evaluate you and start PEP promptly; if it cannot, seek an emergency department or another site without delay.
- County health department — ask for the HIV prevention program and confirm same-day PEP availability and opening hours.
- Community health center — search findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov[7]
- Sexual health or HIV clinic — search locator.hiv.gov for PEP and related services near you[6]
If a facility cannot provide PEP, ask for an immediate referral to a site that can evaluate you and provide the first dose. A clinic’s lack of the service is different from a clinician determining that a particular exposure does not warrant PEP. Seek another urgent option if access is the problem.
What to say, and what happens next
Tell the clinician when the exposure happened and what occurred, including possible blood contact, sexual exposure, shared injection equipment or sexual assault. Mention current or recent PrEP and other medicines. For a workplace needlestick or similar exposure, report it promptly through occupational health while seeking urgent medical assessment. Not every contact carries enough HIV risk to need PEP.[10][1][3]
Expect HIV testing, an exposure assessment and, if indicated, prompt access to medication. CDC’s preferred adult and adolescent nPEP regimens contain three active drugs, which may be coformulated in one tablet. Take the prescribed course and contact the clinic about side effects or trouble obtaining it. PEP greatly reduces risk when used correctly, but is not a guarantee against HIV.[10][3][1]
Paying for it: go first, sort cost after
Do not let cost delay the visit. CDC says that depending on why you're prescribed PEP, you may qualify for free or low-cost PEP medicines. After a sexual assault, you may qualify for partial or total reimbursement for medicines and clinical care costs. After a workplace exposure, your workplace health insurance or workers' compensation will usually pay for PEP[1].
At the clinic, ask two questions out loud: what assistance programs do you have, and can you start me today while the paperwork happens. Manufacturer patient assistance programs exist for HIV medications generally — Gilead's program, for example, may provide its medications at no charge to eligible people[8] — though these are not PEP-specific programs, so ask the clinic to help you apply rather than assuming coverage.
Consultation lines, and what they are not
The National Clinician Consultation Center’s current PEP service page lists 844-275-6222 (844-ASK-NCCC). It lists Monday–Friday, 7 a.m.–5 p.m. Pacific, and Saturday–Sunday, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Pacific, excluding holidays. In Eastern time, that is 10 a.m.–8 p.m. on weekdays and 1 p.m.–5 p.m. on weekends. This is a clinician consultation service, not a 24-hour patient emergency line.[2][5]
Give the consultation information to the clinician evaluating you. Do not wait for a telephone service to open before seeking local care or starting indicated PEP.[1]
NCCC’s current perinatal HIV service page lists the same number, 844-275-6222, for perinatal consultation 24 hours a day, seven days a week. That round-the-clock availability applies to perinatal care, not general PEP consultation.[11][2][4]
Arrange follow-up before leaving: CDC recommends contact within 24 hours to check medication access and tolerability, with follow-up HIV testing generally at 4–6 and 12 weeks after exposure. Ask about an immediate PEP-to-PrEP transition if exposure may continue. A history of repeated exposure does not make someone ineligible for urgently indicated PEP.[10][1]
Florida: what the state tells you to do
Florida's PrEP & PEP page is direct: if you think you've been exposed to HIV and are in need of PEP, contact your local hospital emergency room, urgent care clinic, or local county health department for PEP evaluation and treatment — and PEP must begin within 72 hours of exposure[3].
Use Florida DOH’s county health department finder to locate an office and confirm services. For expert help, your clinician can use the current NCCC PEP contact above; older state and federal hotline lists may differ. If urgent evaluation is needed overnight, go to an emergency department rather than waiting for an office to open.[2][9][4]
Related questions
Is it too late if it's been more than 72 hours?
CDC recommends starting nPEP no later than 72 hours after exposure; evidence is insufficient to recommend routine initiation after that point. Still seek medical care for testing, exposure assessment and prevention planning. A clinician can consider the circumstances, including whether there was a more recent exposure.[10]
Is 1-888-448-4911 available 24/7?
Will PEP cost me anything?
You may qualify for help through insurance, workers’ compensation after a workplace exposure, sexual-assault reimbursement programs or medication assistance. Eligibility and covered costs vary. Tell the clinic about cost concerns immediately so it can help you obtain the first dose and complete course promptly.[1][8][10]
Can I use PEP every time I have a risky encounter?
PrEP is usually the better ongoing prevention plan, but another recent substantial-risk exposure still deserves urgent PEP evaluation. CDC recommends planning a transition from PEP to PrEP when ongoing exposure is likely; do not delay care because you have needed PEP before.[10]
Related from RiseUpToHIV
References & Sources
- CDC — Preventing HIV with PEP: prompt clinical assessment, daily treatment and access pathways. Current regimen and follow-up recommendations appear in reference10. Source. ↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩
- NCCC — PEP: Post-Exposure Prophylaxis; current service-specific number and weekday/weekend hours, checked September21,2026. Source. ↩↩↩↩ ↩ ↩
- Florida DOH — PrEP & PEP: where to seek evaluation. Current clinical regimen recommendations are provided in reference10. Source. ↩↩↩↩↩
- Florida DOH — HIV/AIDS services and programs. Current clinician consultation contacts are provided by NCCC in references2 and11. Source. ↩↩
- NCCC — Clinician Consultation: service descriptions. Source. ↩
- HIV.gov — HIV Testing Sites & Care Services Locator. Federal locator for testing, prevention, and care services, usable to find nearby clinics for PEP evaluation. ↩
- HRSA — Find a Health Center. Locator for federally supported community health centers, which operate in every U.S. state, territory, and the District of Columbia. ↩
- Gilead Advancing Access — patient assistance (general, not PEP-specific). Describes patient and medication assistance for Gilead medications for eligible people; the program is not described as a PEP-specific program. ↩ ↩
- Florida Department of Health — County Health Department Location Finder. Working statewide finder listing county health department offices across Florida. ↩
- CDC MMWR — Nonoccupational PEP Recommendations,2025: indications, three-drug regimens, timing, follow-up and transition to PrEP. Source. Checked September 21, 2026. ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩
- NCCC — Perinatal HIV/AIDS: current24-hour clinician consultation contact. Source. Checked September 21, 2026. ↩ ↩
Community publications like POZ, Positively Aware, and TheBody inform framing and lived-experience context on RiseUpToHIV. Every clinical, epidemiological, or public-health claim above is anchored to a primary source.