Bridging the Gap: Addressing HIV and SUDs in Rural Communities
Pacific AIDS Education and Training Center and Pacific Southwest Addiction Technology Transfer Center Collaborative Training Package
Addressing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and substance use disorders (SUDs) in rural communities requires a multifaceted approach that tackles both healthcare access and social labeling. Rural areas often face shortages of medical providers, limited transportation, and heightened social labeling, all of which can delay diagnosis and treatment. Programs like the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program have made strides by supporting telemedicine, mobile clinics, and community health workers to bridge these gaps. At the same time, integrating HIV care with substance use treatment—especially in areas hit hard by the opioid crisis—can improve outcomes for both conditions. Education campaigns, local leadership engagement, and locally responsive outreach are also key to reducing and encouraging people to seek care. Bridging the gap in rural communities means expanding access to integrated care and education to effectively confront the intertwined challenges of HIV and SUDs, reducing social labeling and saving lives. The purpose of this introductory training is to provide HIV clinicians (including, but not limited to physicians, dentists, nurses, and other allied medical staff, therapists and social workers, and counselors, specialists, and case managers) with an overview of addressing HIV and SUDs in rural communities.
The duration of the training is approximately 120 minutes (2 hours), depending on whether the trainer chooses to present all the slides, or a selection of slides.
PowerPoint and PDF Downloads:
This PowerPoint presentation, 2-page tip sheet, and reference list was developed by Humberto Carvalho, MPH (Consultant), and Beth A. Rutkowski, MPH (UCLA Integrated Substance Use and Addiction Programs/Pacific Southwest Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC)), through supplemental funding provided by the Pacific AIDS Education and Training Center. We wish to acknowledge Thomas E. Freese, PhD, and Christopher Schamber, LCSW, from the Pacific Southwest ATTC, and Sandra M. Cuevas, Carla Ramos, and Christina Lonzisero from the PAETC – Los Angeles Area. Additional resource provided by SAMHSA, grant number H79TI087732.
*All PowerPoint presentations and PDF files are 508 compliant.