HIV/AIDS Interventions Project: Research Paper

Final Country Project Lab

The HIV epidemic constitutes one of the main public health issues in the United States. The disease claims many lives yearly and brings about multiple social and economic challenges in the country. Mimiaga et al. (2020) state that more than 1.2 million people are living with HIV in the United States. The number of positive cases continues to escalate each year, which calls for the attention of public health policymakers. Due to the negative implications of the disease on a person’s physical health, HIV is blamed for causing a decline in the level of productivity in society, which has delayed growth in the United States gross national product despite the application of multiple fiscal strategies to boost productivity. The epidemic has also increased poverty levels and dependency rates in the country as people living with the condition lose the capacity to engage in economic activities. In the strive to address such challenges, the United States government sets aside large amounts of economic resources to support contemporary public health initiatives implemented to reduce the rate of HIV transmission in society. Consequently, a large amount of revenue is spent on HIV prevention and management measures, which delays the rate of economic development in the long run. It is, therefore, important to develop interventions to reduce the rapid spread of HIV among members of society. The HIV epidemic in the United States could be addressed through expanding screening and antiretroviral services, suppression of risky behaviours, protection of queer people’s rights, implementation of technologically-enhances strategies, and community mobilization.

Innovative Solutions

Among the main interventions that ought to be developed to control the high prevalence of HIV in the United States include the expansion of screening and antiretroviral services. The United States government should implement innovative strategies to increase access to care services for people living with HIV. Such strategies should include limited-income people with the disease as beneficiaries of Medicaid and other federal funding services. According to Siegler et al. (2018), many people living with HIV lack adequate economic potential to seek quality care services. As a result, they experience rapid disease progression, leading to physical incapacitation, high economic dependency levels, and increased mortality rates. The government should, therefore, provide funding for HIV care services to improve the living conditions of people living with the disease and reduce the social and economic burden associated with high rates of severe cases of HIV and increased mortality rates. The government should also develop strategies to discourage drug abuse and other risky behaviours to reduce the high HIV infection rate. For example, the government could impose high taxes on alcoholic products to reduce demand and eventually address alcohol-induced sexual behaviour in society. Implementing such strategies could help reduce the social and economic burden brought about by HIV in society.

The government should also develop regulations to protect the rights and freedom of queer people in society. Gay people, bisexual, and transgender members of society have a high predisposition to HIV. Due to their sexual orientation, such individuals engage in risky sexual practices that expose them to the risk of contracting HIV. Such individuals also experience multiple forms of discrimination that limit their access to care services. For example, due to homophobia and anti-gay violence, gay people develop antisocial behaviour and refrain from seeking healthcare (Beach et al., 2018, p. 468). The government should, therefore, implement regulations to discourage discrimination against queer people from increasing their access to care services. Healthcare facilities and other organizations that engage in HIV prevention campaigns could also use emerging technologies to sensitize public members regarding ways to avoid contracting the disease. For example, while some people shy from seeking medical attention due to the fear of stigmatization, healthcare organizations that provide antiretroviral care and preventive strategies could utilize social media channels, such as Facebook, to engage with public members. Such innovative strategies could help to reduce the spread of HIV and the risk of rapid progression among individuals living with the disease.

An evidence-based approach to address HIV

The high rate of HIV transmission in the United States could be addressed through community mobilization. The strategy focuses on capacity building through which various community stakeholders conduct and evaluate activities on a participatory basis to achieve an HIV-free society (Almeida-Brasil et al., 2018). Through community mobilization, the government, the private sector, and individual members of society collaborate in activities meant to reduce the infection rate of HIV and promote healthy living among individuals living with the condition. Applying such a strategy allows the community to take ownership of actions with a shared sense of urgency to reduce the adverse spread of HIV in society. Due to its capacity to stimulate effective collaboration among all groups in society, community mobilization constitutes an effective approach in the fight against the HIV epidemic.

Conclusion

Some innovative approaches towards HIV prevention and management in the United States include the expansion of screening and antiretroviral services, suppressing risky behaviours, and protecting queer people’s rights. Emerging telecommunication technologies could also be leveraged to support initiatives developed to sensitize public members regarding ways to avoid contracting the disease. Through community mobilization, various community stakeholders could take action with a shared sense of urgency to reduce the adverse spread of HIV in society.

References

Mimiaga, M. J., Oddleifson, D. A., Meersman, S. C., Silvia, A., Hughto, J. M., Landers, S., Brown, E., & Loberti, P. (2020). Multilevel barriers to engagement in the HIV care continuum among residents of the state of Rhode Island living with HIV. AIDS and Behavior, 24(4), 1133-1150. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10461-019-02677-4

Siegler, A. J., Bratcher, A., Weiss, K. M., Mouhanna, F., Ahlschlager, L., & Sullivan, P. S. (2018). Location location location: an exploration of disparities in access to publicly listed pre-exposure prophylaxis clinics in the United States. Annals of epidemiology, 28(12), 858-864. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1047279717310475

Beach, L. B., Greene, G. J., Lindeman, P., Johnson, A. K., Adames, C. N., Thomann, M., Washington, P., & Phillips, G. (2018). Barriers and facilitators to seeking HIV services in Chicago among young men who have sex with men: perspectives of HIV service providers. AIDS patient care and STDs, 32(11), 468-476. https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/apc.2018.0094

Almeida-Brasil, C. C., Ceccato, M. D. G. B., Nemes, M. I. B., Guimarães, M. D. C., & de Assis Acurcio, F. (2018). Improving community mobilization in HIV treatment management: practical suggestions from patients in Brazil. Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública, 41, e119. https://www.scielosp.org/article/rpsp/2017.v41/e119/en/