Center for Health Policy PI Receives Two New Grants To Study HIV/AIDS

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Published October 29, 2007, last updated on February 25, 2013 under Research News

AIDS/HIV continues to be a major health problem in the U.S., with African-Americans in the rural south particularly at risk.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is providing nearly $2.5 million to fund CADET (the Carolina Alcohol and Drug Abuse Expansion Team). In collaboration with the HIV clinics at DUMC, UNC, and Lincoln Community Health Center, CADET will further develop HIV-related substance use services to improve and evaluate health outcomes, treatment adherence, service access and utilization and care integration among a primarily rural African-American population of patients living with HIV. Expanded services will include universal screening of clinic patients, partner testing, and collaboration with organizations conducting rapid HIV testing, as well as enhancing substance abuse treatment options.

Also received was more than $1.5 million from the Health Resources and Services Administration to develop a Regional Health Information Consortium (RHIC) in partnership with Wake Forest University Health Sciences. HIV service delivery in the southern part of the U.S. is organized around the provision of HIV medical care in centrally located clinics, while ancillary care services (mental health, case management, and emergency assistance) are provided within local communities. The Regional Health Information Consortium will help develop a wide area network to support administrative and clinical functioning through the sharing of electronic health information among partner agencies.