Special to Focus
Memphis is on the verge of a game-changing healthcare moment: Music City PrEP Clinic is coming to town. With a mission as clear as it is ambitious—reducing new HIV transmissions in Tennessee to zero—this Nashville-founded clinic is opening its first location outside of Music City, bringing its stigma-free, sex-positive, community-rooted model to the Bluff City in June 2025.
Music City PrEP Clinic isn’t just another healthcare provider. It’s a movement—a fresh, fearless response to outdated systems that have too often failed to serve those most at risk. Since opening in Nashville seven years ago, the clinic has flipped the script on sexual health by offering affirming, accessible, and judgment-free care to all people, with a strong commitment to the LGBTQ+ community.
Now, as Memphis continues to rank among the cities with the highest new HIV infection rates in the nation—including being ranked second among U.S. metropolitan areas according to the Shelby County Health Department (Action News 5, August 2024)—Music City PrEP Clinic is stepping in with the tools, talent, and tenacity to shift that trajectory.
A Bold Start Born from Need
The clinic’s founding story is one of disruption. Tired of the sterile, stigmatizing experiences so many faced in traditional sexual health settings, the founders reimagined what a clinic could be. Their goal: to create a space that feels safe, welcoming, and even celebratory. One where patients are not just treated, but uplifted.
“It wasn’t enough to just open a clinic,” their team explained. “We set out to replace shame and fear with a judgment-free, shame-free experience—one that’s intentionally designed to align with our values of providing great experiences for every patient.”
With overwhelming community support and success in Nashville, expansion became inevitable. Memphis, with its urgent healthcare needs and vibrant LGBTQ+ population, was the natural next step.
Why Memphis? Why Now?
The statistics speak volumes: The Memphis region continues to report some of the highest STI rates in the nation, alongside consistently elevated HIV rates. In 2024, these trends were among the most concerning in the country, underscoring the urgent need for sex-positive, shame-free, highly professional care.
While many people access general care through primary physicians, those providers may not always be equipped with up-to-date knowledge on HIV prevention tools like PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) or PEP (Post-Exposure Prophylaxis). That’s where Music City PrEP Clinic shines.
Even before their physical doors open, the clinic has already been serving over 400 Memphis residents through Tele-PrEP—the highest number outside of Nashville. That level of demand signaled not just need, but trust.
Comprehensive Services,
Human-Centered Care
Music City PrEP Clinic offers a wide range of sexual health services:
- PrEP: A once-daily pill or long-acting injection offering near-perfect protection against HIV.
- PEP: Emergency medication that can prevent HIV after a potential exposure, if initiated within 72 hours of exposure.
- STI Testing: Covering chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, hepatitis A, B, and C, and HIV.
- Treatment: Antibiotic treatment for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis.
- DoxyPEP: A new tool that prevents STIs before they start.
But the clinic’s impact goes deeper than its services. Every detail of the experience is intentionally designed to be welcoming, private, and judgment-free. Many staff members are part of the LGBTQ+ community, and they approach care with the shared belief that everyone deserves to feel confident in their sexuality. Grounded in our purpose of fostering sex esteem, we envision a future where people can have sex without fear and love without stigma.
“We’re not just another clinic,” the team emphasizes. “We’re part of your community.”
Tackling Barriers in the South
More than half of all new HIV diagnoses in the U.S. happen in the South, and in Tennessee, stigma remains one of the biggest obstacles to care. LGBTQ+ individuals often delay or avoid medical attention out of fear of discrimination, especially in rural areas where affirming providers may be hours away.
Music City PrEP Clinic is uniquely positioned to bridge those gaps. Their use of telehealth helps reach patients in harder-to-access regions, while their Memphis location will serve as a hub for both care and community engagement.
Access, they say, is about more than money. “It’s about eliminating every barrier—social, cultural, psychological—that keeps people from prioritizing their health.”
Even without government funding, the nonprofit clinic has found ways to provide care to all, regardless of insurance or financial status.
Leadership That Listens and Leads
At the helm of this dynamic clinic is Executive Director Rich MacKinnon, whose career spans both the tech and civic worlds. From Silicon Valley startups to leading Austin’s transportation and tech initiatives, Rich brings a unique, solution-oriented mindset to healthcare access.
He guided the development of the organization’s Philosophy of Service to be deeply service-centric and focused on creating great experiences for every patient. With a grounded approach to the clinic’s mission, purpose, and vision; Rich is helping to ensure that care is not only accessible and affirming, but designed to foster trust, sex esteem, and a future free of stigma.
With support from a team that mirrors the community it serves, Music City PrEP Clinic isn’t just delivering care—they’re providing Great Experiences by Design.
Not Just Showing Up—Plugging In
Community involvement is baked into the clinic’s DNA. In Nashville, they’re a staple at pride parades, drag brunches, health fairs, and more. In Memphis, expect the same energy.
“We don’t just put our name on a building,” the team shared. “We show up. We partner. We celebrate. We support.”
This clinic doesn’t operate in a vacuum—it exists as part of a larger effort to celebrate people for who they are and to bring a model of care where trust-building, our top service essential, is a key advantage in truly serving this community.
As they prepare to open their Memphis location, Music City PrEP Clinic is calling on the community to join them in their mission: to get to zero new HIV transmissions. Their purpose is to foster sex esteem, and their vision is to imagine a time when we can have “sex without fear and love without stigma.”
And in a city like Memphis—resilient, diverse, and full of heart—that kind of hope and action is exactly what’s needed.
FAST FACTS
Opening in Memphis: June 2025
Location: New, state-of-the-art facility at 3002 N. Germantown Pkwy.
Mission: Zero new HIV transmissions in Tennessee
Services: HIV Testing, PrEP, DoxyPEP, PEP, STI Testing & Treatment
Open to: All people, all backgrounds
“Be a Hero. Get to Zero.”
To learn more or get involved, visit musiccityprep.org or follow Music City PrEP Clinic on social media.
