Philadelphia has introduced a new digital tool designed to connect residents with HIV treatment, prevention, and support services across the city. The Philadelphia HIV Resource Finder is available through Philly Keep on Loving, the Department of Public Health’s sexual health and wellness platform.
The tool was created to serve two distinct groups. Anna Thomas-Ferraioli, Ending the HIV Epidemic Advisor for the Philadelphia Health Department, explained that developers focused on community members and professional service providers.
“It was really important that we developed a tool that was usable by two really different user types,” she said.
One group includes people living with HIV, their family members, friends, and individuals seeking general information. The second group consists of case management providers and navigation providers — referred to as “super users” — who work directly with clients to connect them to services.
The directory is searchable under a “find services” option. Users can enter keywords, scroll through drop-down menus listing available services, or filter by county. The listings include food banks, home-delivered meal programs, emergency financial assistance, harm reduction services, and outpatient medical care.
The project grew out of a gap in existing systems. City officials determined there was no single accessible location that compiled HIV-related resources. Previous tools served different purposes but were not consolidated in one place.
The resource finder is part of the federal Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative, which includes Philadelphia and 47 other counties. The initiative aims to reduce new HIV infections in participating jurisdictions by 90% by 2030. Philadelphia County is designated as an Ending the HIV Epidemic jurisdiction.
Local data show infections decreasing in recent years. Between 2017 and 2022, new HIV infections in Philadelphia fell from 440 to 310. The rate of confirmed HIV diagnoses continued trending downward from 2017 to 2023.
In 2022, Pennsylvania recorded an estimated 740 new HIV infections. With a total population of 11,134,682, the state’s HIV incidence rate was 6.6 per 100,000 people.
Philadelphia County recorded an estimated 320 new HIV infections in 2022. With a total population of 1,326,759, the county’s HIV incidence rate was 23.8 per 100,000 people.
Across the Greater Philadelphia Region, an estimated 30,000 people are living with HIV, according to the Philadelphia Department of Health. Philadelphians have been infected at a rate five times the national average and more than 50% higher than residents of New York City.
All resources listed in the directory are available at no cost to participants. Services are accessible to people with disabilities, available in English and Spanish, and accessible through translation services for other languages. In almost all cases, services are available regardless of immigration status. The website includes a disclaimer stating it is accessible regardless of race, disability, or immigration status.
The directory also connects users to prevention tools. PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis, helps prevent HIV before potential exposure. TelePrEP is available as an online option for HIV prevention services. PEP, or post-exposure prophylaxis, is available for individuals who believe they were recently exposed to HIV. Those seeking PEP can call the hotline at (833) 933-2815. The hotline information is listed within the resource finder.
Thomas-Ferraioli described why quick access to care matters.
“HIV is a manageable, chronic illness, but like many manageable, chronic illnesses, if you don’t manage it, there can be really serious things that happen, up to and including death,” she said.
Effective treatment can suppress the virus to undetectable levels, preventing sexual transmission. Access to services supports both individual health and community prevention efforts.
Since launching in early January, the website has received more than 1,000 page views. The department plans to review care outcomes, care-seeking behavior, and service uptake over time using reports from service providers.
James Garrow, communications director for the city’s Department of Public Health, said outreach efforts will expand through community events and face-to-face conversations, with additional attention during Pride this summer.
The local initiative operates within a national and global HIV context that remains urgent. Since the first AIDS case was diagnosed in 1981, more than 600,000 Americans have died of AIDS — more than all U.S. combat deaths since the beginning of World War I.
Although treatment advances since the 1980s have extended life expectancy for many people living with HIV/AIDS, public health officials have confirmed that a perception that HIV is no longer a serious threat has led to increased infection rates in the United States. According to the 2006 UN AIDS Report, the number of people living with HIV in the U.S. reached its highest level ever at that time, estimated at 1.2 million.
HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) attacks and breaks down the immune system. AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) develops when individuals with HIV contract certain infections or when blood tests show severe immune system damage. There is no cure.
HIV is transmitted when infected blood, semen, vaginal fluids, or breast milk enters another person’s body. The three primary transmission routes are unprotected sex, sharing needles, and mother-to-child transmission during birth or breastfeeding.
HIV is not transmitted through casual contact. Holding hands, kissing, and working with someone who has HIV or AIDS are safe. The virus cannot live outside the human body and cannot be spread through toilet seats, phones, water fountains, coughing, or sneezing.
National statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the UN Report on AIDS estimate that 1.2 million people are living with HIV/AIDS in the United States. At least one-third of new infections occur among individuals younger than 29, and the majority of young people are infected sexually. Approximately 20% of people with HIV do not know they are infected. About half of the 1.2 million people living with HIV in the U.S. are not receiving medical care.
Worldwide, by the end of 2005, an estimated 38.6 million people were living with HIV. Of those, 10 million were between the ages of 15 and 24. In 2005 alone, AIDS killed about 2.8 million people. Since 1981, 25 million people have died. An estimated 4.1 million people were newly infected in 2005. Global funds for anti-AIDS efforts were expected to reach $8.9 billion that year, “far short” of the $14.9 billion target identified by the United Nations.
