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The Florida Department of Health works to protect, promote, and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county, and community efforts.
Perinatal HIV Services
STD Program
- 239-461-6100
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Mailing Location
83 Pondella Road
North Fort Myers, Florida 33903
The Florida Department of Health in Lee County (DOH-Lee) Perinatal Prevention and Linkage Program works to prevent the transmission of HIV from mothers to their newborn children. The program collaborates with HIV providers network, OBGYN providers as well as labor and delivery hospitals.
Statistics have shown that if an HIV positive mother is not treated, there is nearly a 25% chance that the virus will be passed to her baby. With proper medication, an HIV positive mother can reduce her chances of passing the virus to her baby by less than one percent.
DOH-Lee Perinatal HIV program conducts community outreach,and works health care providers in service to promote routine testing for HIV, hepatitis B, and syphilis in the first and third trimesters of pregnancy and works with labor and delivery hospitals to ensure that updated intrapartum and postpartum protocols are in place.
The Perinatal HIV Program collaborates with multiple service providers to ensure that HIV positive pregnant women receive adequate perinatal care. Assistance may include referrals to:
- Case management
- Healthy Start
- Hospitals
- Housing Opportunities for Persons with Aids (HOPWA)
- OBGYN providers
- Pediatricians
- Social services
- Substance abuse facilities
For Medical Providers
DOH-Lee Perinatal HIV Program encourages medical providers that become aware of an HIV infected pregnant woman and/or a newborn infected/exposed to HIV to notify the Perinatal HIV Coordinator.
- High-Risk Pregnancy Notification Form and/or
- Newborn Exposure Notification Form
- Applicable Statute
- Proper Medication for Mothers
- Medication and Transportation Assistance
Florida Statute 64D-3.042 requires all pregnant women to be tested for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) including, HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhea, hepatitis B, and syphilis at the initial prenatal care visit and again at 28 to 32 weeks gestation.
Women who present in labor and delivery or within 30 days post-partum with no record of STD testing after 27 weeks gestation are considered at a high risk and should be tested for HIV, hepatitis B, and syphilis.
Proper medication for the mother refers to a three-part regimen of antiretroviral medications, administered to the mother during pregnancy, labor, delivery, and to the newborn immediately after birth.
The Florida Department of Health partners with Walgreens HIV-specialized pharmacies to significantly improve patient outcomes. Walgreen’s Baby provides HIV medication to HIV exposed and newborns prior to leaving the hospital. This plan is used when families do not have insurance, money to pay for the medication, and/or transportation to a pharmacy.
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