Ryan White Title III HIV Capacity Development and Planning Grants - CHCI is proposing a project which falls under the HIV Care Innovations category and leverages strategic partnerships and dynamic collaborations to create systems of care for individuals living with HIV who also have substance use challenges. CHCI has a robust history of success in building nontraditional environments of care that offer flexibility and safety by bringing care to the places where people live, work, play, and receive services. By addressing the lack of access and integration between HIV and substance use disorders, CHCI aims to transform care for some of the most vulnerable populations in our state, bringing together the resources and services that are desperately needed and eliminating the barriers to comprehensive care. Individuals living with HIV have a significantly higher rate of self-reported substance use challenges with over 50% of People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in the US reporting current or past history of drug or alcohol disorders. According to the National Institute of Health (NIH) the use of alcohol and recreational drugs by individuals who are not HIV positive creates enhanced risk due to a substantial increase in participation in risky behaviors which increase the chance of acquiring HIV. The intersection of HIV, mental health disorders, and substance use challenges are one of the most common reasons for a lack of medication adherence, inconsistent healthcare, poor health outcomes, and increased sexually risky behaviors and HIV seropositivity is observed in 30-40% of injection drug users. It has been well documented in research that effective and consistent substance use treatment improves both SUD and HIV health outcomes, however, there remains a lack of access and a lack of integration of substance use care for some of the most high risk populations.
