Women-Centered Carepwnusa2013-12-22T13:56:02-05:00
Over half of people living with HIV in the U.S. are estimated to be out of care, and studies show these statistics may be even worse for women living with HIV. Research published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that race, gender, and geography play a key role in health outcomes for people living with HIV — women are getting sicker and dying faster of HIV, especially Black women and Latinx, and particularly if they are living in the South or rural areas.
Women’s medical care and support service needs are unique. Achieving the best health outcomes for women living with HIV requires care that is non-stigmatizing, holistic, integrated, gender-sensitive, peer-based, culturally relevant and that upholds positive women’s rights and dignity.
PWN-USA Tools and Resources:
- PWN-USA’s Report Securing the Future of Women-Centered Care (released March 2016): For the past 26 years, the Ryan White Program has served as a critical gap-filler, helping to deliver medical care and supportive services. A crucial source of essential health coverage for people living with HIV, Ryan White is likely to undergo reauthorization within the next several years. In addition, implementation of the Affordable Care Act has changed the landscape of health care available to low-income people with chronic conditions. To inform the future of medical care and service delivery for women with HIV, Positive Women’s Network – USA (PWN-USA) facilitated a community-based participatory research project led by women living with HIV. 180 women living with HIV in 7 geographic regions were surveyed to find out what was working, what wasn’t, and which services would help women stay in care.
- PWN-USA Women-centered Care factsheet (PDF version)
- Ryan White and the Affordable Care Act: Advocating for Public Healthcare for Women Living with HIV (released March 2015): PWN-USA, National Women’s Health Network and SisterLove, Inc., released a collaborative policy paper for National Women and Girls’ HIV Awareness Day examining the unique healthcare needs of women living with HIV, highlighting key opportunities as well as gaps in the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and underlining the importance of the Ryan White Program in the current arrangement of public healthcare for people living with HIV.
- Affordable Care Act Priorities: Opportunities for Addressing the Critical Health Care Needs of Women Living with or at Risk for HIV, 30 for 30 Campaign and Treatment Access Expansion Project, July 2012
Other Resources:
- Being a Woman Just Got a Little Easier: How the Affordable Care Act Benefits Women, July 2012, Families USA
- Sevelius J, et al. HIV/AIDS Programming in the United States: Considerations Affecting Transgender Women and Girls, Women’s Health Issues, 2011 March
- Meditz A, MaWhinney S, Allshouse A, et al. Sex, race, and geographic region influence clinical outcomes following primary HIV-1 infection. Journal of Infectious Diseases. 2011 Feb 15;203(4):442-451.
- Armstrong WS, del Rio C. Gender, race and geography: do they matter in primary human immunodeficiency virus infection? Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2011 Feb 15;203(4):437-438.