Document Type
Article
Publication Date
4-4-2025
Abstract
Purpose of Review: Advances in HIV testing, prevention, and treatment, alongside increased awareness and harm reduction efforts for substance use disorder (SUD) have improved care and treatment access over the past decade. However, racial and ethnic minorities with SUD and HIV or at risk for HIV still face disproportionately high health disparities. Understanding and addressing the reasons behind these disparities is crucial. Recent Findings: Structural and systemic barriers continue to negatively impact minoritized communities, due to lack of access to care, mistrust, and feelings of ostracization. Disconnected systems for HIV and SUD treatment complicate combined care. Delays in HIV diagnosis and viral suppression reduce life expectancy for minority populations by around 10 years. Summary: Healthcare systems need to become more integrated, accessible, and culturally welcoming to marginalized communities. Promising interventions utilizing technology, harm reduction, and mobile service delivery can reduce barriers and improve outcomes for minority individuals.
Keywords
ethnic minority, harm reduction, HIV, racial minority, substance use disorder
Language
English
Publication Title
Current HIV AIDS Reports
Grant
AA P30 DA054557
Rights
© The Author(s) 2025. This is an Open Access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Saunt, J.V., M. Kelley, K., Hileman, C.O. et al. Addressing HIV and Substance Use Health Disparities among Racial/Ethnic Minority Individuals. Curr HIV/AIDS Rep 22, 29 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11904-025-00738-z
Manuscript Version
Final Publisher Version