# CERCA DE TI: Leveraging an Established Academic and CVS Health® Partnership to Advance Biomedical HIV Prevention with a New Pharmacy-Based PrEP Program.

> **NIH NIH P30** · UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI CORAL GABLES · 2023 · $225,658

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY. CERCA DE TI (“Close to You” in Spanish) is a new pharmacy chain-based PrEP
program that will leverage CVS Health services and infrastructure to help Latinx learn about PrEP, decide if
PrEP is relevant for their lives, access PrEP, and sustain PrEP use. This project addresses the EHE Pillar
“Protect.” The goals of this EHE pilot study are to explore and plan the groundwork needed for the future
implementation of CERCA DE TI, and to determine if the necessary resources are available for effective future
implementation. This application is supported by 5+ years of ongoing collaborations between Dr. Kanamori and
CVS Health during which we implemented a pharmacy chain-based recruitment program to support a PrEP
program implemented by our partner Latinos Salud. To date, this program has provided PrEP to a total of
1,581 clients and currently has 581 PrEP clients. Building on this success recruiting PrEP clients through CVS
Health venues, we are now proposing to develop a one-stop-shop PrEP program promoted and offered by
CVS Health. CERCA DE TI will include five implementation strategies from the Expert Recommendations for
Implementing Change (ERIC) project: 1) Increase Demand. PrEP information available at different CVS
Health companies will be tailored to different demographics: Farmacia Navarro (Spanish speaking clients),
TARGET (women and families), CVS stores (general population), and CVS Health’s MinuteClinic, Clinics in
CVS HealthHUB, and CVS Health Virtual Care (clients engaged in health care). 2) Promote Adaptability.
CERCA DE TI will add a customer-centric, pharmacy-based PrEP program which reflects cultural norms,
needs and preferences of different CVS Health clientele. 3) Streamline Recruitment and Enrollment. A one-
stop-shop PrEP program will be offered at CVS Health’s MinuteClinic, Clinics in CVS HealthHUB, and CVS
Health Virtual Primary Care. 4) Identify and Prepare Champions. CERCA DE TI will capitalize on CVS
Health executives, pharmacists, nurse practitioners, and store staff members. And 5) Tailor Strategies and
Consumer Engagement. CVS.com and the CVS Pharmacy app will promote PrEP information and new
shopping experiences. Our project’s aims are: AIM 1: Evaluate Consolidated Framework for Implementation
Research factors important for the implementation and sustainability of CERCA DE TI (outer setting, inner
setting, characteristics of intervention, and process characteristics). We will implement mixed methods
interviews with executives and staff. AIM 2: Identify modifiable factors within the outer setting and
characteristics of individuals for successful delivery of PrEP information and a one-stop-shop PrEP program at
CVS Health. We will implement PhotoVoice with clients. AIM 3: Refine ERIC implementation strategies
through an Evidence Based Quality Improvement (EBQI) process. With 85% of the U.S. population living less
than 10 miles from a CVS Pharmacy venue, CERCA DE TI has the potential to scale-up to a national...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10819876
- **Project number:** 3P30MH133399-01S3
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI CORAL GABLES
- **Principal Investigator:** Steven A Safren
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $225,658
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2023-04-01 → 2025-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10819876

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10819876, CERCA DE TI: Leveraging an Established Academic and CVS Health® Partnership to Advance Biomedical HIV Prevention with a New Pharmacy-Based PrEP Program. (3P30MH133399-01S3). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10819876. Licensed CC0.

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