HIV, Equity, and Addiction Training (HEAT) Program

Purpose

This project is a pilot study to determine the feasibility and acceptability of a telemedicine intervention for substance use disorder service delivery in diverse people living with HIV in Alabama.

Conditions

  • Substance Use Disorders
  • Hiv
  • Opioid Use Disorder
  • Stimulant Use (Diagnosis)

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Over 18 Years
Eligible Sex
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
No

Inclusion Criteria

  • Receiving services at HIV clinics in Alabama - Reported opioid and/or stimulant misuse - 18 years of age or older

Exclusion Criteria

  • Receipt of SUD clinical care other than through HIV provider/clinic in the last 3 months - Inability to engage in interviews independently without support (e.g., cognitive impairment) - Currently psychotic - Actively suicidal: presents with a suicide attempt or suicidal ideation

Study Design

Phase
N/A
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
N/A
Intervention Model
Single Group Assignment
Primary Purpose
Treatment
Masking
None (Open Label)

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Experimental
Patients living with HIV and substance use 		Patients living with HIV and substance use, aged 18 and over. These participants are receiving services at HIV clinics in Alabama and must have reported opioid and/or stimulant misuse.
  • Other: Telemedicine
    Routine care administered via telemedicine
  • Other: Standard of care
    Standard of care, as received in HIV clinic settings

Recruiting Locations

University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham 4049979, Alabama 4829764 35294
Contact:
Tyler O'Rear
2057214060
storear@uabmc.edu

More Details

Status
Recruiting
Sponsor
University of Alabama at Birmingham

Study Contact

Ellen F Eaton, MD, MSPH
2059750661
eeaton@uabmc.edu

Detailed Description

The contemporary drug crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic have exposed the complex syndemics of addiction and infectious diseases: rising rates of substance use disorder (SUD) have outpaced our ability to respond with a limited healthcare workforce and public health capacity. SUD is increasing in those living with and at risk for HIV, and infectious consequences of SUD, like hepatitis C, have continued, unmitigated, in rural parts of the U.S. where many states lack Medicaid expansion, syringe service programs, and public health infrastructure to respond to the drug crisis and comorbid infections. Systemic racism and regressive policies in the Deep South criminalize people who use drugs, creating additional barriers to care, HIV prevention, and addiction treatment. As a result, people who use drugs rarely receive comprehensive addiction and HIV treatment. Yet telemedicine has the potential to overcome these barriers and bypass the constraints of a brick-and-mortar clinic to link vulnerable people, including those with HIV, to care. Although telemedicine has become mainstream in recent years, few studies have evaluated telemedicine for SUD in the Deep South from the perspective of patients and providers.