Structural Barriers:
Restricted hours for C&T
- Schedules of C&T hours vary and can be unpredictable
- Lab hours can prevent late night and weekend testing
Lack of Transportation
- No convenient testing available in some communities of high risk clients
Blood draw Logistics
- Phlebotomists lack experience drawing blood from injection drug using clients
- Fear of needles among non-IDU participants
Insensitive providers
- Testing staff insensitive toward participants due to their drug use
- Reports of outreach workers escorting participants and advocating for participants at HIV C&T and other service settings
Personal Barriers:
HIV Stigma
HIV stigma varied greatly between individuals and communities, influencing how participants felt about the following:
- receiving their HIV test results in a public space (mobile van)
- outreach staff knowing their HIV status
- disclosing their HIV status to friends and family
Fear of Positive Results
- Waiting period anxiety
- Lack of definite plan if positive
Little Perceived Risk
- Risk for contracting HIV perceived as minimal.
- Perceived risks often associated with past behaviors not with current ongoing behavior
- Participants generally apt to assess their drug-related risks more clearly than their sexual risk
Competing Concerns
- Need for immediate housing and social services
- Inadequate availability of drug treatment (esp. methadone maintenance)
- Needs of drug habit: hustling and procuring drugs
Last modified: February 24, 2011