Minority Health and Health Equity Archive
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/21769
Welcome to the Minority Health and Health Equity Archive (MHHEA), an electronic archive for digital resource materials in the fields of minority health and health disparities research and policy. It is offered as a no-charge resource to the public, academic scholars and health science researchers interested in the elimination of racial and ethnic health disparities.
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Item Do Clinicians Screen Medicaid Patients for Syphilis or HIV When They Diagnose Other Sexually Transmitted Diseases?(2003) Rust, George; Minor, Patrick; Jordan, Neil; Mayberry, Robert; Satcher, DavidBackground: Patients diagnosed with gonorrhea or chlamydia are at high risk for HIV and syphilis, and should be offered screening for both. Goal: This study measures HIV and syphilis screening rates among Medicaid patients diagnosed with another sexually transmitted disease (STD). Study Design: Using 1998 Medicaid claims data from 4 states, we identified individuals diagnosed with gonorrhea, urogenital chlamydia, or pelvic inflammatory disease, and then measured the proportion receiving screening tests for HIV and syphilis. Results: Only 25% of STD-diagnosed Medicaid patients received screening tests for syphilis and only 15% for HIV. We found significant state-to-state variability in screening rates. Conclusion: Medicaid patients diagnosed with a nonbloodborne STD represent a high-risk group that is not adequately screened for syphilis and HIV despite repeated contact with medical professionals. Interventions should focus on eliminating missed opportunities for screening these high-risk individuals.Item Building Community Trust: Lessons From an STD/HIV Peer Educator Program With African American Barbers and Beauticians(2002) Lewis, Yalonda R; Shain, Lara; Quinn, Sandra Crouse; Turner, Katherine; Moore, TimothySexually transmitted diseases (STDs), HIV, and AIDS disproportionately affect the African American community. In 1999, the rates of gonorrhea and primary and secondary syphilis among African Americans in the United States were approximately 30 times greater than those rates in Whites. Although African Americans represent only 12% of the population nationwide, they constitute 37% of the cumulative AIDS cases. In North Carolina’s Durham County, African Americans accounted for 88% (553) of the HIV cases reported as of December 2000. There remains a demand for prevention efforts that are culturally relevant, incorporating the social norms and values of the African American community. Through the Barber and Beautician STD/HIV Peer Educator Program of the Durham County Health Department’s Project StraighTalk (PS), local barbers and beauticians provide condoms, educational materials, and education to their clients about STDs/HIV. In collaboration with PS, Lewis and Shain performed a needs assessment of the program, including interviews with stylists and clients, to inform program enhancement and materials development. This article describes the needs assessment process, with a specific focus on the challenges of working closely with a community and the lessons learned.