If you may have been exposed to HIV, do not wait for us to open.
Kind Clinic is not open yet, so we cannot see you today. PEP has to start within 72 hours of the exposure and works better the sooner it starts. There are places in Toronto that can start it now:
Any hospital emergency department can assess you for PEP, at any hour. This is the most reliable route outside clinic hours and the one to use if it is the middle of the night or the weekend.
A sexual health clinic can assess you during opening hours. Several downtown Toronto clinics run PEP and PrEP services, including services within walking distance of 231 Dundas St E.
Sexual Health Infoline Ontario can tell you where to go: 1-800-668-2437 toll-free, or 416-392-2437 in Toronto. It is open 10am to 10.30pm on weekdays and 11am to 3pm at the weekend, and closed on statutory holidays — outside those hours, use an emergency department rather than waiting for it to open.
Go sooner rather than later. The clock started at the exposure, not at the appointment.
If it has already been longer than 72 hours, still get assessed. There are other things worth doing, and the visit is not wasted.
HIV & sexual health
PEP — if something happened in the last 72 hours
PEP is medication taken after a possible exposure to HIV. It has to start within 72 hours, and the sooner it starts the better it works.
What PEP is
PEP stands for post-exposure prophylaxis. It is a course of anti-HIV medication started after a possible exposure and taken for 28 days, to stop an infection from establishing itself.
It is not the same as PrEP, which is taken on an ongoing basis before exposure by people who are HIV-negative. PEP is the emergency option; PrEP is the plan.
Assessment involves a conversation about what happened and when, a baseline HIV test, and usually testing for other sexually transmitted infections. Starting PEP does not require knowing the HIV status of the other person — not knowing is one of the ordinary reasons people are assessed.
Reasons people are assessed for PEP
Sex without a condom, or a condom that broke or slipped, with a partner whose HIV status you do not know or who is living with HIV and not virally suppressed. Sharing injection equipment. A needlestick or other occupational exposure. Sexual assault.
You do not need to be certain there was a risk. Working out whether there was one is the assessment’s job, and it is a normal reason to walk in.
If you have been sexually assaulted
Hospital-based sexual assault and domestic violence care centres in Toronto provide PEP alongside medical care, evidence collection if you want it, and support. You can accept some parts and decline others — care is not conditional on making a police report.
What this will look like here, once we open
When Kind Clinic opens, PEP assessment will be a walk-in service during opening hours, with baseline testing collected in the building and a same-visit decision. Outside our hours, an emergency department will still be the right answer, and we will say so on this page rather than letting the clock run.
We will also talk with you about what happens after the 28 days — because a PEP course is very often the moment when PrEP becomes the more useful conversation.
If you have needed PEP once, PrEP may be the thing that means you do not need it again. Most people in Ontario pay $0–$2 for it through OHIP+, ODB or Trillium.
PrEP →Common questions
How long do I actually have?
72 hours from the exposure, and effectiveness falls the longer you wait within that window. Treat it as hours, not days. If you are past 72 hours, still get assessed — there are other things worth doing, including testing.
What does PEP cost?
It depends on your coverage. Some people are covered through a public drug program, some through private insurance, and hospitals have their own arrangements. Cost should not stop you from being assessed — go, and ask about coverage there. Do not let a billing question run the clock out.
Do I have to say what happened?
Enough to work out whether PEP is indicated, which usually means what kind of contact and when. You are not being asked to justify yourself, and a clinician assessing you for PEP has heard every version of this.
Is it confidential?
Yes. It is medical care and it is subject to the same confidentiality as the rest of your health information. Note that “confidential” and “anonymous” are different things in Ontario — anonymous HIV testing is only available at specifically designated sites.
What are the side effects?
Modern PEP is generally much better tolerated than its reputation suggests, though some people get nausea, headache or tiredness, particularly in the first days. Finishing the full 28 days is what makes it work, so if side effects are making that hard, that is a reason to contact your prescriber rather than to stop.