The Florida Department of Health in Sarasota provides health care services at two locations in Sarasota County.  (Not all services are available at all locations.)

Locations and Hours:

• William L. Little Health and Human Services Center (Ringling Blvd, Sarasota) Appointments: 941-861-2814
• North Port Health Center Appointments: 941-861-3820

Cost of Services / Eligibility

The cost of services depends on your ability to pay as determined by the Eligibility office.  We accept most health insurance, including Medicare, Medicaid, and many private plans.

• Pregnancy testing and counseling
• Pre-Pregnancy counseling and planning
• Birth control (contraception) options for men and women
  • Pills
  • Depo Injection
  • IUD's
  • Implants
  • Skin Patch
  • Vaginal Ring
  • Condoms
• Emergency contraception (morning-after pill)
• HIV and STD (Sexually Transmitted Disease) testing & treatment
• Teen health counseling
• Sterilization services for men and women

• William L. Little Health and Human Services Center (Ringling Blvd, Sarasota)
  • Appointments: 941-861-2814
• North Port Health Center
  • Appointments: 941-861-3820

DOH-Sarasota offers screening and treatment for STDs (Sexually Transmitted Diseases, also known as STIs or Sexually Transmitted Infections). All visits, including test results, are strictly confidential. With very few exceptions under the State of Florida's confidentiality laws, patient information is never released to anyone without the patient's consent.

PrEP and nPEP at the Florida Department of Health in Sarasota County

What is PrEP?

PrEP is short for “Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis”. It means protecting yourself before you come in contact with HIV-1

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (or PrEP) is when people at risk for HIV take daily medicine to prevent HIV. PrEP can stop HIV from taking hold and spreading throughout your body. When taken daily, PrEP is highly effective for preventing HIV from sex or injection drug use. PrEP is much less effective when it is not taken consistently.

Studies have shown that PrEP reduces the risk of getting HIV from sex by about 99% when taken daily. Among people who inject drugs, PrEP reduces the risk of getting HIV by at least 74% when taken daily.

What is nPEP ?
nPEP is short for “non-occupational Post Exposure Prophylaxis”

It is a 28-day course of medication taken when an individual is potentially exposed to HIV outside the workplace, for example, during episodes of unprotected sex or needle-sharing/injection drug use with a person known (or unknown in special circumstances) to be HIV positive. Treatment must be started within 72 hours of exposure.

PrEP and nPEP are available for everyone regardless of income and insurance.
PrEP and nPEP are given to everyone regardless to their status of residency or citizenship.

In order to enroll for PrEP or nPEP treatment, make your appointment by calling 941 861-2814.

On the day of your appointment, you will need to bring:

• Proof of residency: a utility bill, current Florida driver’s license, a lease, or bank statement with your name and address on it.
• Proof of income: the last 2 pay stubs, most recent income tax or notarized letter telling where you are living, how you are paying for rent and food.
• If you currently have health insurance please provide us with your card.
  
  We offer services based on a sliding fee scale based on our Eligibility Requirements.

HIV is preventable. Florida continues to rank third in the nation in the cumulative number of AIDS cases (126,581 in 2012) and second in the nation in the cumulative number of HIV cases (49,058 in 2012). We have a caring medical team to provide confidential services. Please call (941) 861-2814 for more information.

Services offered include:

• Outpatient Ambulatory Medical Care for clients diagnosed with HIV/AIDSAIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP)
• HIV/AIDS Testing and Counseling
• HIV Anonymous and Confidential Testing (2-3 weeks test result) $20
• HIV Clear View Rapid Test (15 minute test result) $20

Payment Options:

We offer affordable payment options for our patients who qualify under:

• the Federal Poverty Level
• Most Medicaid/Medicare HMOs
• Ryan White Grant Funding for those who qualify
• Visa or MasterCard for HIV testing only
• Cash For HIV testing only

If you have private health insurance (not Florida Medicaid) we recommend you see your selected primary care physician.

Case Managers - Your Link to Services

We offer HIV testing, education, case management, and medical and pharmacy services for eligible individuals.

Case managers link eligible clients with health care, psychosocial care, and other services. This helps ensure you are able to get good quality health care services when you need them. This includes continually collecting and reviewing information about your personal situation such as the needs of key family members and your personal support systems.

Case management activities include:

• Determining your Eligibility for Ryan White (Title II) Services, AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), housing assistance and more.
• Evaluating your needs and personal support systems
• Developing and starting a plan to help ensure you get the services you may need. This includes periodic review of the plan to make sure agreed upon goals are being met.

To reach a case manager:

• Sarasota: 941-861-2844
• North Port: 941-861-3385

Medical and Pharmacy Services

Primary medical care, on-site laboratory services and assistance with prescriptions are available for HIV-positive individuals. To see if you qualify for Ryan White or other assistance programs, please contact a case manager.

HIV/AIDS Education
HIV/AIDS Prevention Education

• provides condoms and educational materials
• technical assistance to community-based organizations
• maintains a resource directory of HIV/AIDS services in Sarasota County
• works with organizations to develop age-appropriate HIV/AIDS education course curricula
• provides training through the Office of Epidemiology and Disease Intervention Services

HIV/AIDS Education for Providers

DOH-Sarasota offers courses designed to meet the requirements of health professionals and others who may come in contact with HIV.

For information regarding HIV 104, 500, 501 and 501 update please call 941-861-2873

Surveillance

The HIV/AIDS surveillance program promotes the ongoing, systematic collection, analysis, evaluation, and dissemination of epidemiologic data. These data are used to plan, implement, and evaluate HIV/AIDS programs and interventions. Surveillance in Florida identifies HIV-related conditions at various points along the spectrum of the disease from reporting of HIV infection in otherwise asymptomatic people, to death certificate review for HIV/AIDS-related mortality.

Reportable HIV-related conditions

Florida state law requires health care providers to report to the DOH-Sarasota HIV/AIDS Surveillance Office any patient diagnosed with any of the following conditions:

• Western Blot positive or qualitative PCR positive tests done after July 1, 1997
• Any CD4 tests with values below 200 or 14%
• Any of the 26 AIDS-defining opportunistic infections defined by the CDC

Additional Resources: