April 14, 2004

A Response to the “Unmet Need” Crisis in HIV Healthcare

Washington, DC - AIDS Action Foundation today launched an educational initiative to address the overwhelming number of HIV+ individuals not in regular medical care. The Connecting to Care Initiative is designed to strengthen the domestic response to HIV by providing public health administrators, planning bodies, community-based AIDS service organizations (ASOs), and local health agencies with research, information and success-proven strategies to connect HIV+ people to care.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are an estimated 850,000 to 950,000 individuals living with HIV in the U.S. The CDC also estimates that between 42% and 59% of individuals who are aware of their HIV infection are not receiving regular primary medical care.

Studies have identified multiple factors that contribute to this high number of HIV+ individuals who are not in regular care. They include economic barriers, lack of familial and community support, and poor client-provider communication, as well as the challenges of demanding antiretroviral regimens.

“If we begin to clearly define the factors that contribute to the ‘unmet need’ crisis in HIV and its impact on the U.S. healthcare system, then we can truly move forward to improve America’s health outcomes,” states AIDS Action Executive Director Dr. Marsha Martin.

“Unmet need” is defined by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) as, “individuals who are living with HIV, are aware of their status, and are not receiving regular primary medical care.”

Addressing the “unmet need” in HIV has been a primary goal of the Ryan White CARE Act since 2000 when federal health administrators began to understand the vital relationship between regular HIV care and improved health outcomes. The CARE (Comprehensive AIDS Resource Emergency) Act was originally signed into law in 1990 as a federal program that offers treatment and medical support services for persons with HIV.

Individuals in care are more likely to adopt healthier regimens to complement their antiretroviral therapy, learn how to prevent opportunistic infections, live longer and healthier lives, and are more likely to practice safer sexual behaviors which will lower the rates of HIV transmission. In addition, helping to keep an individual in regular primary care is much more cost-effective than managing complications or emergency health conditions that occur when HIV infection is untreated.

The initiative supports the efforts of health care providers to meet the needs of our current health crisis in HIV. Through an interactive workbook and webpage, skills building and training sessions, the Connecting to Care Initiative introduces new analysis, research, and models of successful approaches used in different settings to connect HIV+ people to care.

“Today, when thousands of HIV positive people are not receiving appropriate medical care, it can’t be ignored. There are gaping holes in the response to the epidemic in the United States,” says AIDS Action Foundation Chair David Wexler. “Connecting to Care is a call to action and everyone has a role to play.”

AIDS Action Foundation strives to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic by working for public policies that promote prevention against new infections, provide care for people already living with HIV/AIDS, and support the search for a cure. AIDS Action is the national voice of all people living with HIV, representing community based organizations across the country.