Freddie, Canada’s leading online PrEP (Pre-exposure prophylaxis) provider, and REACH Nexus at St. Michael’s Hospital today announced an exciting new partnership to help expand access to PrEP by integrating Freddie’s online clinic into I’m Ready – a national HIV self-testing network.

I’m Ready is a landmark initiative from REACH Nexus at the MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions at St. Michael’s Hospital (Unity Health Toronto), designed to make HIV testing easy and more accessible. At the heart of the program is the I’m Ready app, which allows people to order up to two free HIV self-test kits for delivery anywhere in Canada or pickup at one of 60 participating community organizations across the country.

I’m Ready will now offer users the chance to get connected directly to PrEP through Freddie ’s virtual PrEP intake and clinical services that provide healthcare for communities that have traditionally been overlooked, stigmatized and marginalized. 

PrEP is a highly effective, daily medication or long-acting injection that is 99% effective at preventing HIV. Studies have shown an urgent need to increase both the awareness and uptake of PrEP especially among, Black, Indigenous and other key populations.

Too often, individuals who test negative but could benefit from PrEP fall through the cracks due to fragmented systems, long wait times, and unclear next steps. This new digital connection removes those barriers and transforms a moment of testing into an immediate opportunity for prevention.

“HIV prevention doesn’t fail because people don’t care. It fails when systems make it too hard to act or create barriers to accessing healthcare,” said Dr. Sean B. Rourke, director of REACH Nexus at St. Michael’s Hospital. “By linking testing directly to PrEP access, we’re collapsing the distance between awareness and action and building the kind of prevention pathway people  need – ones that allow people to get what they need when it’s best for them.”

Building the Future of HIV Prevention Together

Ending the HIV epidemic demands collaboration across the full continuum of care, from testing and diagnosis to linkages to prevention and culturally safe treatment. The REACH and Freddie partnership demonstrates what’s possible when services are designed to work together rather than in silos.

This integrated approach strengthens Canada’s HIV prevention ecosystem and advances national public health goals by increasing PrEP awareness, access, and uptake, particularly among communities that continue to experience a disproportionate impact of HIV.

“PrEP is one of the most powerful tools we have to prevent HIV, yet access remains uneven and unnecessarily complicated,” said Dr. Caley Shukalek, Freddie's Chief Medical Officer. “This partnership shows what happens when we design with care around people instead of systems for faster access, fewer barriers, and better outcomes.”

Centering Communities and Expanding Reach

Beyond digital integration, REACH and Freddie will work in partnership with community-based organizations to expand awareness of both services and ensure they reach those who need them most. Community partners are essential to addressing stigma, building trust, and engaging individuals who may face barriers within formal healthcare settings.

REACH and Freddie are also uniquely positioned to tackle geographic inequities in HIV prevention and care. While many services remain concentrated in large urban centres, people in rural, remote, and underserved communities often face significant logistical, geographical and financial obstacles to accessing testing and PrEP.

“Where you live should never determine your access to HIV prevention,” added Dr. Rourke. “By delivering integrated, virtual pathways to testing, treatment and care, we are extending prevention beyond urban hubs and helping build a more equitable national response to HIV.”

About Freddie

Freddie is Canada’s leading online PrEP provider providing fast, discreet, affirming, and often free access to HIV prevention services, including PrEP and DoxyPEP. Through virtual consultations, discreet medication delivery, at-home testing kits, and now in-person care in Toronto alongside partners across the country, Freddie has made prevention simple and accessible for over 40,000 patients. Freddie was built to serve communities that have too often been overlooked, stigmatized, or marginalized. Clinicians at Freddie lead with empathy, compassion, and inclusion — not judgment — because we believe everyone, in all their diversity, deserves access to affirming care, good health, and dignity.

About REACH Nexus at MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions‍

REACH Nexus is a national research group focused on addressing HIV, Hepatitis C, and other sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBIs) in Canada. Based at the MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, REACH works to reach the undiagnosed, expand testing options, connect people to care, improve access to prevention (PrEP and PEP), and reduce stigma.

REACH Nexus Contact

Andrew Russell
Senior Communications Specialist
REACH Nexus - MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions
📧 andrew.russell@unityhealth.to
📞 416-268-7642

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