What shapes People Living With HIV's experiences of HIV stigma in Delaware?: A qualitative exploration of place and social position.

Objectives: To understand how place and social position shape experiences of HIV stigma among people living with HIV (PLWH) in Delaware. HIV stigma impedes the health and wellbeing of PLWH. Yet, HIV stigma is often studied through psychosocial perspectives without considering social-structural conditions. Recent theorists have hypothesized that place and social position, two key social-structural conditions, fundamentally shape PLWH's experiences of stigma. Due to residential segregation of racial/ethnic and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) populations, place and social position are often inextricably intertwined within the U.S. Methods: Qualitative interviews were conducted with 42 PLWH and 14 care providers in 2017. Interviews were conducted with English- and Spanish-speaking PLWH in all three counties in Delaware, including: Wilmington in New Castle County, Smyrna in Kent County, and Georgetown in Sussex County. Results: Results suggest that PLWH's experiences of HIV stigma are shaped by place and social position. Although HIV stigma is still prevalent across Delaware, participants reported that HIV stigma is more pronounced in Kent and Sussex counties and in rural areas. Latinx and Haitian PLWH are at greater risk of experiencing HIV stigma than other racial/ethnic groups, with participants identifying misinformation within Latinx and Haitian communities as a key driver of HIV stigma. HIV stigma is further compounded by medical mistrust in the Haitian community. In contrast, participants noted that LGBTQ PLWH in Sussex County are somewhat buffered from HIV stigma by the LGBTQ community, which is reported to be more knowledgeable about HIV and accepting of PLWH. Conclusions: Multi-level interventions that address social-structural conditions in addition to individual-level factors are recommended to best address HIV stigma in Delaware. Interventions should target drivers of stigma, such as lack of knowledge, and consider how place and social position uniquely shape PLWH's experiences of stigma.

Expanding care for patients infected with Hepatitis C through community partnership in Delaware.

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the most common blood-borne pathogen in the U.S., and Delaware has one of the highest sero-prevalence rates in the country. As a cause of significant morbidity and mortality, it is a public health priority to identify and link individuals with HCV to care. The demand of patients with HCV far exceeds the current availability of providers in Delaware that offer HCV management. . OBJECTIVE: To propose a framework for enabling non-specialist providers within Westside Family Healthcare to manage patients with HCV. METHODS: As a recipient of a Harrington Value Institute Community Partnership grant, the HIV Community Program of Christiana Care Health System (CCHS) started working together with the NE Wilmington pilot site of Westside in July 2018 to: 1) provide HCV education to Westside, 2) implement an HCV care model at Westside, and 3) conduct programmatic evaluation of this framework's effectiveness. Our goal is to improve Westside rates of HCV knowledge amongst patients and staff, as well as to improve the HCV care continuum, starting with universal HCV screening. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Results from the first year of collaboration will be available in August 2019.  Implementation of this partnership will enable future expansion and continuation of HCV management amongst Westside sites.

Long-term Medication Adherence in Patients Receiving Antiretroviral Drug Therapy.

OBJECTIVE: A long-term medication adherence project was designed and implemented in an urban HIV clinic to address antiretroviral medication adherence. DESIGN AND METHODS: We conducted a prospective study of patients on long-term antiretroviral therapy. Referred patients were on antiretroviral agents at least six months and had two consecutive detectable viral loads. A standarized form was utilized to assess medication adherence, including patient report, practitioner assessed barriers, and pharmacy refill history. Individualized interventions were developed to accommodate patient needs. RESULTS: Seventy-eight patients met inclusion criteria for a total of 81 cases per study protocol. The majority of cases had an identifiable cause related to missed and/or mistimed doses. Following adherence interventions, 51 of the 81 cases (63%) experienced a successful outcome. In addition, 16 of the 27 cases (59%) without an identifiable cause became undetectable following intervention. CONCLUSIONS: This novel approach demonstrates that a proactive method for addressing barriers to long-term medication adherence yields improved patient understanding and preservation of treatment regimens.

Integrated nested services: Delaware's experience treating minority substance abusers at risk for HIV or HIV positive.

Treating minority substance abusers at risk of HIV or HIV positive is a critical public health issue. Delaware has achieved success in treating this population through its integrated nested services approach. Through three Center for Substance Abuse funded projects, Delaware has synthesized a number of evidence-based and best practices from the HIV medical treatment, substance abuse treatment and mental health treatment. Evaluation findings show that Project HOPE and Meeting the Challenges are having a positive impact on clients in a number of areas, including medical compliance, physical health, sobriety, employment/income and living situations. Clearly, this approach benefits all stakeholders, including the State of Delaware, local communities, staff and clients.