October 10 marks the first National PrEP Day, a holiday I created to celebrate something simple and powerful: Prevention works when people can access it. We have the science, the medicine, and the technology to end all new HIV transmissions in the United States.National PrEP Day is about action, not just awareness. Our goal is to get 10,000 new people on PrEP, because every prescription represents one less chance for HIV to spread.When President Donald Trump announced the Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) initiative in 2019, it was a rare moment of bipartisan consensus, a recognition that we finally had the strategy to end new HIV transmissions within our lifetime. The goal was bold: Reduce new infections by 90 percent by 2030. But conversations in Washington about cutting prevention budgets put that progress at risk. Pulling back now would slow what is finally working.Heres the reality. In 2023, more than 100 Americans were diagnosed with HIV every single day, nearly 39,000 new infections in a year. Only one in four people who could benefit from PrEP are receiving it. The gap is widest for Black and Latino communities and for women, who made up 19 percent of new diagnoses in 2022 but only 9 percent of PrEP users in 2024. Thats not a science problem; thats an access and equity problem.I created MISTR and SISTR to fix that problem with something people actually use: free online PrEP, DoxyPEP, and STI testing. No doctors office. No paperwork. No cost. MISTR and SISTR make PrEP free for everyone, even without insurance. If you do have insurance, getting your PrEP through MISTR or SISTR helps cover the cost for uninsured patients.Today, more than 500,000 people across all 50 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico have signed up. Nearly one in five people on PrEP in the U.S. get it through MISTR. Since launching DoxyPEP, STI positivity among our patients has dropped by more than half. Eighteen percent of our patients are Black, compared with 14 percent nationally, proof that MISTRs sex-positive, fun, and stigma-free approach is reaching people too often left behind by our healthcare system.We do this at zero cost to patients and zero burden on taxpayers. We partner with 65+ nonprofits and community clinics, handle the paperwork, and turn awareness into action. The math is simple: The lifetime cost of treating one HIV infection is about $1.1 million. Generic PrEP costs around $365 a year. Prevention saves lives and money.The next chapter is long-acting injectable PrEP. MISTR will soon offer it in seven high-need LGBTQ+ neighborhoods, including West Hollywood, The Castro, Hells Kitchen, and Wilton Manors. Many people struggle with a daily pill. Marketed as Yeztugo, injectable PrEP requires just two shots a year for full protection. Were expanding access while removing barriers and stigma.Even if federal prevention budgets tighten, MISTRs commitment does not change. PrEP will remain free through our model, and injectable PrEP will launch as planned. Well keep closing the gap for LGBTQ+, Black, Latino, and female patients too often left out of the story.We know how to end new HIV transmissions in the United States. The tools exist. The infrastructure exists. What remains is commitment. National PrEP Day is our reminder to choose it, and to act today.Lets finish the job. Sign up for free online PrEP at mistr.com.Tristan Schukraft is the Founder and CEO of MISTR, a telehealth platform providing free online PrEP, DoxyPEP, and STI testing to patients in all 50 states. He also invests in LGBTQ+ hospitality and culture, including The Abbey in Los Angeles, Tryst Hotels, and The Pines Fire Island.