HIV/AIDS services in private substance abuse treatment programs

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Infectious Disease Research
• Substance Abuse Treatment

Background:

• HIV infection is a significant concern among individuals with substance use disorders in the U.S.
• Limited research exists on the integration of HIV/AIDS services within substance abuse treatment settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the availability and provision of onsite HIV/AIDS services within privately funded substance abuse treatment programs nationwide.
• To identify factors associated with the offering of specific HIV/AIDS services, such as testing and support groups.

Main Methods:

• A nationally representative sample of 345 privately funded substance abuse treatment programs was surveyed.
• Data were collected through face-to-face interviews with program administrators and/or clinical directors between 2007 and 2008.
• Statistical analyses, including multinomial logistic regression, were employed to identify predictors of service provision.

Main Results:

• Larger programs and those serving a higher proportion of African American patients and injection drug users (IDUs) were more likely to offer onsite HIV/AIDS support groups and dedicated treatment tracks.
• Hospital-based programs, those with onsite medical services, and those with more African American patients had higher odds of providing onsite HIV testing.
• Outpatient-only programs were less likely to offer onsite HIV testing compared to offering no testing or external referral.

Conclusions:

• Significant barriers exist to the widespread adoption of onsite HIV/AIDS services in substance abuse treatment programs.
• Treatment programs may be missing crucial opportunities to improve HIV-related health outcomes for their patient populations.