A System-Level Syndemic Approach to Improve HIV Care and Treatment for Racial and Ethnic Minorities Demonstration Systems

Research shows that HIV care must increasingly address the management of individuals with multiple coexisting diseases (p.357) such as infectious and chronic diseases, mental health and behavioral disorders, food insecurity, substance use, etc. Since individual diseases do not exist in a vacuum, neither does the management, or burden of disease on community well-being. In response, syndemic theory and approaches are used to (1) increase the focus on co-occurring and interacting disease and social conditions that exacerbate health inequities, and (2) advance the evidence base for effective approaches to assess, monitor, and intervene with respect to these co-occurring and interacting factors for optimal outcomes in HIV treatment and care. The purpose of this project is to design, implement, and evaluate innovative comprehensive interventions part of an integrated treatment plan , using a syndemic approach to address co-occurring and interacting conditions of HIV, substance use disorder, intimate partner violence (IPV), and other social determinants of health that impact health outcomes of racial and ethnic minorities with HIV.