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Despite the availability and affordability of life-saving treatment here in the U.S., Black women are the most impacted by the HIV epidemic, making up 13% of the U.S. population but accounting for approximately 50% of HIV diagnoses in 2022. These challenges — caused in part by structural racism and sexism that often lead to poverty, trauma, stigma and discrimination — create barriers to health care access. Without adequate access to quality treatment and services, Black women suffer more than other populations living with HIV.
A team led by The University of Massachusetts Lowell explains how our nation, working with community leaders, HIV medical providers, women with lived experience, and public health professionals can change their approach in a new supplement, ‘Improving Care and Quality of Life of Black Women with HIV,’ published in the American Journal of Public Health.
In the first-ever initiative designed to implement interventions tailored to Black women with HIV, the study provides important lessons for health care and social service providers and policymakers on how to effectively treat the vulnerable population and maintain viral suppression in accordance with the National HIV/AIDS Strategy for 2022-2025.
“We found that implementing bundled services that provide peer support and access to social needs such as food, housing and employment in addition to medical care, increased viral suppression from 72% to 84% and improved their quality of life. As Black women with HIV live longer, we need a holistic system of care that moves beyond a singular focus on HIV. This supplement provides examples for policymakers, health professionals and communities on how to address the root causes of health disparities and improve the health and wellbeing for Black women with HIV,” says Serena Rajabiun, PhD University of Massachusetts Lowell Assistant Professor.
What is especially critical to providing adequate care is creating supportive spaces where Black women’s voices are heard and their life experiences are taken into consideration as public health advocates and policymakers look to address and remove barriers that keep them from receiving life-saving treatment. Behavioral health clinician Joy Walker-Jones, LCSW adds, “Listening to Black women when they tell us what they need helps us adapt our interventions to be more effective. We found that women who participated in our HERS+ intensive outpatient program for substance use had lower levels of substance use and higher levels of social support over time. These results are very promising for reducing social isolation, building community, and reducing substance use, all of which can improve health outcomes and quality of life."
These recommendations are essential to end the HIV epidemic for Black women living with HIV. It will take the collaboration of health care providers, community-based organizations, health systems and policymakers to achieve just that.
You can read the supplement and its findings here.
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This study was funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS; grant U90HA39727). The opinions and views are those of the author(s) and do not represent the official policies of, nor an endorsement by, HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.
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The American Public Health Association champions optimal, equitable health and well-being for all. With our broad-based member community and 150-year perspective, we influence federal policy to improve the public’s health. Learn more at www.apha.org.