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The HIV/AIDS epidemic represents a growing and persistent health threat to women in the U.S., especially for young women and women of color. Many factors, including relationship violence, drug use (such as needle-sharing or commercial sex work), histories of trauma and abuse, and reproductive health issues (such as sexually transmitted infections), contribute to the rising number of HIV-infected women.
Many HIV-positive women have had poor access to HIV services in the community or have been unable to access them due to chaos in their lives. Women in the criminal justice system have an especially high rate of HIV; it is believed that incarcerated women are 36 times more likely to be HIV-positive as compared to non-incarcerated women. Time spent in prisons, drug treatment centers, and domestic violence shelters can present an important opportunity for them to gain an understanding of HIV, cope with a positive diagnosis, and develop skills to avoid passing HIV on to others. HIV prevention education also can be of great value to those who are HIV negative, helping them learn how to better protect themselves.
Individual counseling sessions developed specifically for women will be provided in facilities including prisons, domestic violence shelters, and drug treatment centers. Research has shown that the most effective HIV programs for high-risk women are those that take a holistic approach, and the program funded by the Atlanta AIDS Partnership Fund (AAPF) will be designed with this in mind. Kristen Mielhe will be serving as the Women’s Prevention Services Coordinator. She is an HIV educator and counselor with years of experience working with HIV-positive and high-risk women, particularly in prisons, re-entry services, and drug treatment centers. Ms. Mielhe also has a strong background working with women with trauma histories and domestic abuse.
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Mental heath prevention services including a comprehensive assessment of individual risk behaviors and mental health correlates, such as depression and anxiety, triage into individual counseling focused on reducing risk behaviors and responding to mental health issues, and triage into the Psychiatric Clinic for clients diagnosed with acute psychiatric disorders.
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Outreach prevention services, including the development and maintenance of relationships with collaborating agencies and programs serving women who are HIV-positive or at risk, facilitation of psycho-educational programs, and triage from group HIV prevention into individual prevention case management and/or referral to Positive Impact for mental health counseling.
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Individual-level intervention consisting of individual prevention case management for clients with a high degree of risk behavior identified upon presentation for mental health services at Positive Impact, as well as those identified through the outreach services. For those women affected by HIV and HIV-positive women identified at outreach sites, triage into mental health counseling at Positive Impact will be conducted.
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