Are You Prepared for Any Emergency?

September is National Preparedness Month, a time when we are all reminded of the importance of having a plan to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe and healthy in case of a natural disaster or other type of emergency. This year’s theme is, “Don’t wait. Communicate. Make Your Emergency Plan Today.”

Emergency planning is particularly important for individuals with chronic health conditions like HIV. That’s because emergencies and natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods, and wildfires can prevent people living with HIV from having easy access to their health care providers and pharmacies and may make it more difficult for people to take their HIV medications as directed. And all of us understand that medication adherence is essential for people with HIV to stay healthy and keep the virus under control.

To avoid interruptions in HIV treatment, people living with HIV should have an emergency plan in place and talk to their health care providers about ways to ensure they have access to the medications they need should disaster strike.

Learn more about emergency preparedness for people living with HIV. And read a blog post by HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell, which will go live on September 30 at 12 PM EST. Follow the conversation on social media using the hashtag #PrepareAThon.