The Aliveness Project, an HIV community center in Minneapolis, opened its first Thrive clinic in the city, which supports Minnesotans living with and at risk for HIV. In the near future, the clinic will also include a pharmacy.

 

For nearly 40 years, the Aliveness Project has provided free HIV services to thousands of Minnesotans. Both the Aliveness Project and the Thrive clinic are located near Nicollet Avenue and 38th Street.

 

While the Aliveness Project offered people links to HIV resources, the new Thrive clinic provides free HIV support services on site, including HIV testing, counseling and prescriptions for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), medications used by HIV-negative people to reduce their risk of contracting HIV. Currently, PrEP is available as daily tablets and a long-acting injectable given every two months.

 

“There are a lot of primary [care] providers who, for whatever reason, are uncomfortable prescribing PrEP, which doesn’t make any sense to me. It’s no different than giving somebody a vaccine,” Thrive clinical services director Matthew Hoppe told the Minnesota Daily. “We eliminate as many barriers as we can. We try to make it as easy as possible and as low cost as can be.”

 

Hoppe said he is the highest-prescribing injectable PrEP provider in the state. What’s more, the clinic already sees between seven to 15 clients a day, whether for various forms of PrEP, mental health issues or other reasons.

 

Almost 10,000 people in Minnesota are living with HIV; an additional 1,100 people are unaware of their HIV-positive status, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. In 2023, 324 Minnesotans were diagnosed with HIV, up about 24% from 2022.

 

What’s more, Minnesota is currently experiencing HIV outbreaks in several areas of the state. State officials encourage health care providers to offer HIV testing to those who are at risk.