Challenges and Barriers to HIV Care for Mexican Born Men Living in Chicago.

BACKGROUND: Latinx men are disproportionately impacted by HIV. Research often looks at Latinx people as a heterogeneous population. This paper describes baseline characteristics and barriers to HIV care among Mexican born men enrolled in an HIV care engagement intervention at a public health clinic in Chicago. METHODS: Survey and medical chart data were collected. RESULTS: 66 Mexican born men enrolled in the project. Over half (60%) were newly diagnosed; 40% were reengaging in care or establishing care for the first time. Participants reported significant pre and postmigration concerns including poverty, social stigma, late entry to care, and concurrent health concerns, including 47% screening positive for depression. Barriers to care and mental health concerns were significantly related to Stage 3 HIV. DISCUSSION: More prevention and intervention research is needed to ameliorate the negative socioeconomic and health ramifications of immigration and bolster mental and sexual health, reduce HIV transmission, and increase testing, linkage and care retention.

Proyecto Promover: Attempts to Roll Out an HIV Prevention and Testing Initiative Within a Mexican Immigrant Community.

Latinx immigrants and men, in particular, living in the US are disproportionally impacted by HIV. Despite these concerns, there is limited research on the development, implementation, and evaluation of community-based HIV education and HIV testing interventions. The current study describes such efforts within a historic Mexican immigrant enclave in Chicago. A mixed-methods case study was used to describe intervention development, as well as preliminary evaluation data. Community intervention components were refined through early focus groups, asset mapping, community networking and consultation with cultural advisors. We exceeded our activity goals. We were successful in reaching a segment of the population that is often overlooked and remains unaware of HIV and its risks. Incorporating social network approaches could facilitate reaching at-risk community groups. Demonstration projects require more time and resources (fiscal and technical) to develop, refine, evaluate and sustain community-level intervention components.