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HIV Testing and Counseling at U.S. Substance Use Treatment Facilities: A Missed Opportunity for Early Identification
Published Web Location
https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.202000524No data is associated with this publication.
Abstract
Objective
The objective of this study was to determine the availability and national distribution of HIV testing and counseling at substance use treatment facilities in the United States.Methods
Analyses of data from the 2018 National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services assessed HIV testing and counseling availability in U.S. substance use treatment facilities (excluding those in U.S. territories). Facilities were subcategorized by availability of mental health services and medication for opioid use disorders and compared by using logistic models. Descriptive statistics were calculated to characterize the availability of HIV testing and counseling by state, state HIV incidence, and facility characteristics.Results
Among U.S. substance use treatment facilities (N=14,691), 29% offered HIV testing, 53% offered HIV counseling, 23% offered both, and 41% offered neither. Across states, the proportions of facilities offering HIV testing ranged from 9.0% to 62.8%, and the proportion offering counseling ranged from 19.2% to 83.3%. In only three states was HIV testing offered by at least 50% of facilities. HIV testing was significantly more likely to be offered in facilities that offered medication for opioid use disorder (48.0% versus 16.0% in those not offering such medication) or mental health services (31.2% versus 24.1% in those not offering such services). Higher state-level HIV incidence was related to an increased proportion of facilities offering HIV testing.Conclusions
Only three in 10 substance use treatment facilities offered HIV testing in 2018. This finding represents a missed opportunity for early identification of HIV among people receiving treatment for substance use disorders.Many UC-authored scholarly publications are freely available on this site because of the UC's open access policies. Let us know how this access is important for you.