Michelle Durham, Cindi Salinas, and Dr. Deepika Slawek, On the Texas Frontlines: How Substance Use Disorder Stigma Affects HIV Prevalence in the South

 In San Antonio, HIV is treated with love, not judgment—and it’s working. 

We will discuss how stigma: 1) contributes to HIV acquisition, 2) prevents people living with HIV from seeking and remaining in care, and 3) effective, evidence-based strategies for mitigating stigma. We will explore effective ways to reach, support, and treat individuals who use substances, who are at a high risk for acquiring HIV and, once acquired, falling out of care.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze root-causes of HIV stigma;
• Explain the intersectionality of HIV risks and SUD;
• Identify evidence-based strategies for treating individuals with SUD who are also PLWH or at-risk.

Host & Guest Bios

1. Dr. Deepika Slawek is an HIV primary care and addiction medicine physician and researcher practicing in the Bronx, NY. She attended University of Texas at Austin as an undergraduate and Texas A&M for medical school and then completed her medical training in New York State. She has been working in the field of HIV and addiction for over a decade.
2. Michele Durham is the 31 year CEO of BEAT AIDS, the largest, longest-lasting HIV/AIDS Services Organization in South Texas. She holds a Bachelors of Business Administration degree in accounting from Lamar University and a Master’s degree in psychological education from the University of Texas at San Antonio with an emphasis in guidance and counseling. She has been working in the field of substance use disorder as it intersects with HIV in the South for over 35 years.
3. Cindi Salinas is a substance use disorder counselor in Texas. She is a graduate of Elmhurst College and the Institute of Chemical Dependency Studies. She has been working in the field of substance use disorder as a counselor for eight years and in direct care for four years. She also has unique insight as someone with lived experience.

Timestamps:

• [00:45] The current state of HIV in South Texas
• [04:59] Historical failings that caused the HIV spike in the South
• [07:56] How stigma worsens both HIV and substance use
• [10:15] What Beat AIDS does differently—and why it works
• [13:59] The importance of trauma-informed care
• [17:45] Peer support and rapid-start medication explained
• [22:43] The community-led model that’s saving lives
• [28:54] Mobile testing and reaching the unreachable
• [33:41] The changing landscape of HIV and SUD care in the South
• [41:10] The “kick-in” approach and why it’s saving lives

Links

• Amersa
• Beat Aids

Find us online at amersa.org, and see our tweets at x.com/AMERSA_tweets.

Funding for this initiative was made possible by cooperative agreement no. 1H79TI086770 from SAMHSA. The views expressed in written conference materials or publications and by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Learn more about PCSS-MOUD at pcssnow.org.