With a disproportionate number of black cisgender women in the U.S. becoming HIV positive, researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) are sharing critical health information through an atypical venue: the emergency room.
The randomized controlled trial, which includes a risk assessment and a “warm handoff” to community clinics, is the brainchild of Mandy J. Hill, DrPH, MPH, director of the population health program and an associate professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth.
“There is often a fair amount of waiting time for people who seek care in the emergency room for non-emergent illnesses,” Hill said. “For many, the emergency room offers a public health safety net. This research leverages the emergency department visit as a vehicle to connect vulnerable populations to preventive services.”
In 2017, black women accounted for 59% of new HIV diagnoses among women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Of all new cases in women, 86% acquired HIV through heterosexual contact and 14% through injection drug use.
“This research is important because black women are more likely to contract HIV than women of other races for social reasons that extend far beyond race,” Hill said.