Hrostowski Susan, Camp Alexandria
a School of Social Work , The University of Southern Mississippi , Hattiesburg , Mississippi , USA.
Soc Work Health Care. 2015;54(5):474-83. doi: 10.1080/00981389.2015.1030057.
While the population of the southern United States is only 37% of the country's total, this region is experiencing 50% of new HIV diagnoses and 46% of new AIDS diagnoses. Specifically, Mississippi has the highest rates of new infection, the most AIDS deaths, the greatest number of people living with HIV/AIDS, and the fewest resources. Mississippi has the highest death rate in the country: 32.9 per 1,000. A Mississippian with HIV/AIDS is almost twice as likely to die as the average American with the virus (SHARP Report, 2010). Compounding the problem are government policy issues, such as disproportionate program funding; socio-economic issues, such as widespread poverty, housing insecurity, and the lack of access to care; and cultural issues, such as homophobia and social stigma. These factors are reflected in this study which examines the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS in a southern, rural county of Mississippi. From a representative sample of 218 HIV positive individuals, researchers identified the levels of need for housing, transportation, medical care, mental health care, substance abuse treatment, and education. The author discusses the reciprocal influences of these needs and HIV, the need for policy changes at the state and federal levels, and the need for resources that both support people living with HIV/AIDS and curb the rate of new infections.
虽然美国南部的人口仅占全国总人口的37%，但该地区却有50%的新增艾滋病毒诊断病例和46%的新增艾滋病诊断病例。具体而言，密西西比州的新感染率最高，艾滋病死亡人数最多，感染艾滋病毒/艾滋病的人数最多，而资源却最少。密西西比州的死亡率是全国最高的：每1000人中有32.9人死亡。感染艾滋病毒/艾滋病的密西西比人死亡的可能性几乎是感染该病毒的普通美国人的两倍（《SHARP报告》，2010年）。使问题更加复杂的是政府政策问题，如项目资金分配不均；社会经济问题，如普遍贫困、住房不安全以及缺乏医疗服务；还有文化问题，如同性恋恐惧症和社会耻辱感。这些因素在这项研究中得到了体现，该研究考察了密西西比州一个南部农村县艾滋病毒/艾滋病感染者的需求。研究人员从218名艾滋病毒呈阳性的个体中选取了具有代表性的样本，确定了他们在住房、交通、医疗、心理健康护理、药物滥用治疗和教育方面的需求水平。作者讨论了这些需求与艾滋病毒之间的相互影响、州和联邦层面政策变革的必要性，以及支持艾滋病毒/艾滋病感染者和遏制新感染率所需的资源。
