329793
Facilitators of HIV care engagement for previously incarcerated individuals
Methods: We conducted in-depth face-to-face qualitative interviews (n=20) with PIIs to understand their experiences with HIV care. Participants were recruited through CBOs and health care settings. Interviews were audio-taped and transcribed. A multidisciplinary team iteratively developed a codebook of emergent themes and analyzed the data using a grounded theory approach.
Results: Average age of the participants was 49 years; 35% were female; 58% identified as Black and 37% as Hispanic. Facilitators for HIV care engagement included receiving case management services from social agencies, particularly for help gaining access to housing and HIV treatment; social support from peers, family and professionals; and access to treatment for substance abuse and mental illness. Many PIIs benefitted from CBO’s pre-release services that facilitated post-release engagement in HIV care in the community. Social support from people living in similar circumstances (PII and HIV+); and finding a trusted provider were other top facilitators.
Conclusion: CBOs were lifelines for providing navigation services as well as social support and training for self-sufficiency. Understanding facilitating factors in HIV care at individual, social, and structural levels can help us to develop effective service models to optimize HIV care engagement for PIIs
Learning Areas:
Chronic disease management and preventionConduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Provision of health care to the public
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences
Learning Objectives:
Identify the major facilitators to HIV care engagement for previously incarcerated individuals
Discuss major structural, social and individual factors that need to be facilitated for optimum HIV care engagement
Keyword(s): Chronic Disease Management and Care, Special Populations
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have a PsyD and years of experience conducting research in the realm of HIV.I am one of the co-investigators on the project. My research has addressed psychological correlates and needs of those living with HIV.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.