Meeting the Needs of Marginalized, Minority, HIV+ Women: Have We Improved OVER the Last Decade?

HIV treatment has improved in simplicity, acceptability and efficacy over the past decade. Have these benefits been reflected in improved health, well being and HIV control in traditionally less engaged populations? Twenty disadvantaged, HIV+ urban women were interviewed in the community to examine perceived, observed and apparent-medical needs and the extent to which those needs were being met. The findings were compared to those from a similar study conducted a decade ago among the same population, to determine whether there have been changes in the needs and/or supportive response to those needs among HIV+ women living in Single–Room-Occupancy hotels in New York City. In both groups, prioritized perceived needs were rarely medical and had not been met. Very few women in either group were in more than emergent HIV/medical care. Even if this had been a priority, they did not have the functional capability to become engaged with the medical community without additional supportive services. They were also functionally incapable of adhering to requirements necessary for them to fulfill their most important perceived needs. Advances in the care of these women may best be addressed by creating services that work to improve their functional ability to achieve their perceived needs and reduce the level of difficulty necessary to maximize medical adherence.

Key words: functional level; HIV+ minority women; unmet perceived needs; adherence to HIV care; Single Room Occupancy; urban poor; health disparities