scholarly journals The Role of Health Education Specialists in Conducting Rapid HIV Testing

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Santella ◽  
Jacquie Fraser ◽  
Angela Prehn

There are over one million people living with HIV in the United States; an estimated 16% are unaware of their status. More innovative testing strategies are needed, as evidence suggests that persons most at risk for HIV, or who may present with early infections, are not being reached. Expanding the role of health education specialists can make HIV testing routine and more accessible, and help achieve the national goals of decreasing HIV infection and increasing knowledge of HIV status. This paper focuses on the role of Certified Health Education Specialists (CHES)/Master CHES as being professionally prepared to conduct HIV testing.

2019 ◽  
Vol 81 (5) ◽  
pp. e141-e147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heidi M. Crane ◽  
Robin M. Nance ◽  
Susan R. Heckbert ◽  
Corey Ritchings ◽  
Lisa Rosenblatt ◽  
...  

AIDS ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (9) ◽  
pp. 1491-1500 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Enns ◽  
Emanuel Krebs ◽  
William C. Mathews ◽  
Richard D. Moore ◽  
Kelly A. Gebo ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 208-212
Author(s):  
Derrick D. Matthews

This year marks the 30th anniversary of AIDS Education and Prevention. As we approach the United Nations goal of ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030, it is a useful time to reflect on and learn from history. In the United States, no such endeavor can be successful without addressing the specific context of Black men who have sex with men. In this commentary I highlight factors that led us to a state in which Black MSM represent approximately a quarter of all people living with HIV in the United States. I also look back at the power of activism during the beginning of the HIV epidemic. Using Black Lives Matter as a contemporary framework, I highlight natural linkages between activism 30 years ago, its incarnation and relationship to public health today, and its promise as the way forward in achieving the elimination of AIDS for Black MSM by 2030.


Author(s):  
Simon Collins ◽  
Tim Horn ◽  
Loon Gangte ◽  
Emmanuel Trenado ◽  
Vuyiseka Dubula

Community responses to the AIDS crisis have changed traditional approaches to medicine, healthcare, health systems, and research. Earlier approaches were rooted in widespread discrimination against key affected populations who were already socially marginalized. The background of community responses, first in the United States and then in other regions, each has a special history. This chapter provides an overview of historical community responses to HIV and is written by activists from the United States, India, South Africa and Western Europe. Examples of key projects include the role of peer advocacy and treatment literacy, which have enabled people living with HIV to learn more about HIV and treatment, adherence, treatment choice, drug resistance, and pipeline research for better drugs in the future. The outcome of this advocacy is that people living with HIV have been empowered to take an active role in their healthcare. HIV advocacy also provides an example of how the international activism that has changed the face of global healthcare is rooted in similar principles developed by early HIV-positive activists and is just as relevant today.


2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 171-189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin Reid ◽  
Gita Suneja ◽  
Richard F. Ambinder ◽  
Kevin Ard ◽  
Robert Baiocchi ◽  
...  

As treatment of HIV has improved, people living with HIV (PLWH) have experienced a decreased risk of AIDS and AIDS-defining cancers (non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Kaposi sarcoma, and cervical cancer), but the risk of Kaposi sarcoma in PLWH is still elevated about 500-fold compared with the general population in the United States. The NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) for AIDS-Related Kaposi Sarcoma provide diagnosis, treatment, and surveillance recommendations for PLWH who develop limited cutaneous Kaposi sarcoma and for those with advanced cutaneous, oral, visceral, or nodal disease.


AIDS ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 633-656 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Crepaz ◽  
Malu V. Tungol-Ashmon ◽  
Darrel H. Higa ◽  
Waverly Vosburgh ◽  
Mary M. Mullins ◽  
...  

10.2196/24043 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. e24043
Author(s):  
Kathryn Elizabeth Muessig ◽  
Jesse M Golinkoff ◽  
Lisa B Hightow-Weidman ◽  
Aimee E Rochelle ◽  
Marta I Mulawa ◽  
...  

Background Stigma and discrimination related to sexuality, race, ethnicity, and HIV status negatively impact HIV testing, engagement in care, and consistent viral suppression (VS) among young Black and Latinx men who have sex with men and transgender women who have sex with men (YBLMT). Few interventions address the effects of intersectional stigma among youth living with HIV and those at risk for HIV within the same virtual space. Objective Building on the success of the HealthMpowerment (HMP) mobile health (mHealth) intervention (HMP 1.0) and with the input of a youth advisory board, HMP 2.0 is an app-based intervention that promotes user-generated content and social support to reduce intersectional stigma and improve HIV-related outcomes among YBLMT. The primary objective of this study is to test whether participants randomized to HMP 2.0 report improvement in HIV prevention and care continuum outcomes compared with an information-only control arm. We will also explore whether participant engagement, as measured by paradata (data collected as users interact with an mHealth intervention, eg, time spent using the intervention), mediates stigma- and HIV care–related outcomes. Finally, we will assess whether changes in intersectional stigma and improvements in HIV care continuum outcomes vary across different types of social networks formed within the intervention study arms. Methods We will enroll 1050 YBLMT aged 15 to 29 years affected by HIV across the United States. Using an HIV-status stratified, randomized trial design, participants will be randomly assigned to 1 of the 3 app-based conditions (information-only app-based control arm, a researcher-created network arm of HMP 2.0, or a peer-referred network arm of HMP 2.0). Behavioral assessments will occur at baseline, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. For participants living with HIV, self-collected biomarkers (viral load) are scheduled for baseline, 6, and 12 months. For HIV-negative participants, up to 3 HIV self-testing kits will be available during the study period. Results Research activities began in September 2018 and are ongoing. The University of Pennsylvania is the central institutional review board for this study (protocol #829805) with institutional reliance agreements with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Duke University, and SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University. Study recruitment began on July 20, 2020. A total of 205 participants have been enrolled as of November 20, 2020. Conclusions Among a large sample of US-based YBLMT, this study will assess whether HMP 2.0, an app-based intervention designed to ameliorate stigma and its negative sequelae, can increase routine HIV testing among HIV-negative participants and consistent VS among participants living with HIV. If efficacious and brought to scale, this intervention has the potential to significantly impact the disproportionate burden of HIV among YBLMT in the United States. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03678181; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/study/NCT03678181. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/24043


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S49-S50
Author(s):  
Frank Spinelli ◽  
Bruce Richman ◽  
Patricia De Los Rios ◽  
Benjamin Young ◽  
Marvelous Muchenje ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The educational campaign “Undetectable = Untransmittable” (U=U) began in 2016 to improve the well-being of people living with HIV (PLHIV) and recalibrate HIV-related social norms. As medical practice can vary by region, we examined reports from PLHIV in North American countries to identify if the campaign affected healthcare provider (HCP) communication of U=U and if positive health outcomes differed by U=U-informed status or country. Methods Data were collected from the 2019 Positive Perspectives survey of PLHIV in Canada (n=120), Mexico (n=63), and the United States (US; n=400) and stratified by country. Outcomes were self-rated mental and sexual health (“Good”/”Very good”), viral suppression, and sharing of HIV status. Treatment perceptions were also assessed. Results Whether diagnosis occurred before or after the U=U campaign launch did not significantly affect the proportion of PLHIV who reported receipt of U=U from an HCP in any North American country. Whether an individual was informed of U=U varied significantly by sexual orientation (heterosexual, 62.8%; homosexual, 74.9%; other, 87.8%), sex (men, 64.7%; women, 89.8%; other, 100%), and metropolitan vs non-metropolitan residence (metropolitan, 78.2%; non-metropolitan, 65.2%) in the US (P< 0.01 for all) but not in Canada or Mexico. Prevalence of sharing of HIV status with ≥ 1 person besides an HCP varied among PLHIV (Canada, 87%; Mexico, 95%; US, 84%). Prevalence of other positive outcomes varied by country and whether PLHIV had been informed of U=U (Figure). Whether PLHIV were informed of U=U was also correlated with treatment satisfaction and the perception that treatment needs were being met among PLHIV in the US and Canada (P< 0.01 for all), and with the belief that treatment prevents transmission among PLHIV in the US (P=0.01). Figure. Prevalence of positive outcomes among PLHIV in Canada (n=120), Mexico (n=63), and the US (n=400). PLHIV, people living with HIV; US, United States; U=U, Undetectable = Untransmittable. *P<0.01 for U=U informed vs uninformed. Conclusion Being informed of U=U was associated with higher treatment satisfaction, and higher mental and sexual health outcomes among PLHIV in North America. Receipt of U=U was associated with significantly higher treatment satisfaction among PLHIV in the US and Canada, and significantly more PLHIV with optimal mental and sexual health in the US. Disclosures Frank Spinelli, MD, ViiV Healthcare (Employee) Bruce Richman, JD, ViiV Healthcare (Consultant) Patricia De Los Rios, MSc, GlaxoSmithKline (Shareholder)ViiV Healthcare (Employee) Benjamin Young, MD, PhD, GlaxoSmithKline (Shareholder)ViiV Healthcare (Employee) Nicolas Van de Velde, PhD, ViiV Healthcare (Employee) Chinyere Okoli, PharmD, MSc, DIP, GlaxoSmithKline (Shareholder)ViiV Healthcare (Employee)


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