Linking to Care: Perspectives from Rural African American People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) and Frontline Service Providers
Abstract
This presentation provides first hand perspectives on service provision to PLWHA in the rural South. By the end of this talk, participants will be able to define and identify challenges to retention in HIV care at multiple levels. We highlight PLWHA and frontline service provider's recommendations for linking rural PLWHA into care and sustaining that care.
Proposal Summary
To date, there is scarce research regarding the coordination of service provision to PLWHA across multiple agencies. This gap widens when discussing frontline service providers and PLWHA in rural settings. Utilizing an ethnographic approach, this study explored the continuity of health and mental health care for rural African American PLWHA from the perspectives of frontline service providers from multiple agencies and rural African American PLWHA both inside and outside of care. These discourses provide a rich narrative regarding effective systems of care, the context in which these processes take place and related constraints or limitations of the current systems. Methods During 18 interviews with rural African American PLWHA (both in and out of care), 2 focus groups with frontline service providers at a community-based organization (N=5), 2 focus groups with frontline service providers at a public health agency (N=6), 4 interviews with mental health providers, and 6 key informant interviews, rural providers and PLWHA were queried about their perceptions of the provision of health and mental health care services for rural PLWHA, barriers to linkages to care, retention of PLWHA in care, and recommendations for improving health and mental health care services for rural PLWHA. Participants included rural African American PLWHA (both in and out of care), frontline service providers, mental health providers, and rural PLWHA currently in care. Findings Participants offered insights on the linkages to health and mental health care consistent with the pattern recommended by the continuum of care. Participants identified contextual factors, including traumatic events, medication (side effects), miseducation about AIDS, other chronic health issues, issues with the current health and mental health system, stigma, lack of social support, differing organizational missions, differing work cultures of frontline service providers, and training gaps for frontline service providers—especially in the area of mental health.
Relevance And Significance
This paper adds to the discussion of advocacy programs regarding stigma and discrimination against PLWHA in rural settings.
Session Format
Panel Session
Keywords
Rural African American PLWHA, Service providers, Adherence
Location
Room 210
Publication Type and Release Option
Presentation (Open Access)
Recommended Citation
Rowe, Jill, "Linking to Care: Perspectives from Rural African American People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) and Frontline Service Providers" (2014). 9th Annual Rural HIV Research and Training Conference (2014-2019). 6.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/ruralhiv/2014/2014/6
Linking to Care: Perspectives from Rural African American People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) and Frontline Service Providers
Room 210
This presentation provides first hand perspectives on service provision to PLWHA in the rural South. By the end of this talk, participants will be able to define and identify challenges to retention in HIV care at multiple levels. We highlight PLWHA and frontline service provider's recommendations for linking rural PLWHA into care and sustaining that care.
