Characteristics of Ryan White and non-Ryan White funded HIV medical care facilities across four metropolitan areas: results from the antiretroviral treatment and access studies site survey

• Published in: AIDS care 2004-10, Vol.16 (7), p.841-850
• Main Authors: Valverde, E., Rio, C. Del, Metsch, L., Anderson-mahoney, P., Krawczyk, C. S., Gooden, L., Gardner, L. I., For the Antiretroviral Treatment and Access Studies Study Group
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Access; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; AIDS; AIDS/HIV; Antiretroviral therapy; Biological and medical sciences; Comparative analysis; Delivery of Health Care - economics; Delivery of Health Care - organization & administration; Federal funding; Female; Financing; General populations; Health; Health Care Surveys; Health facilities; Health Services Accessibility; HIV; HIV Infections - therapy; Hospitals, Chronic Disease - economics; Hospitals, Chronic Disease - organization & administration; Hospitals, Chronic Disease - statistics & numerical data; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Inner cities; Male; Medical care; Medical sciences; Medical treatment; Medically Uninsured; Middle Aged; Prevention and actions; Program Evaluation; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Risk Factors; Surveys; U.S.A; United States; USA
• ISSN: 0954-0121; 1360-0451
• DOI: 10.1080/09546120412331290130

The Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act 1990 (CARE Act) is one of the largest federal programmes funding medical and support services for individuals with HIV disease. Data that report services and gaps in service coverage from the organizational perspective are very limited. The Antiretroviral Treatment and Access Studies included a mail survey of 176 HIV medical care facilities in four US inner cities on clinic characteristics, services and practices, and patient characteristics. Characteristics of 143 (85%) responding Ryan White (RW) funded and non-RW funded facilities are described. RW funded facilities reported offering more services than non-funded facilities including evening/weekend hours (49% vs. 18%), transportation (71% vs. 22%), and on-site risk reduction counselling (88% vs. 55%). More RW funded facilities reported offering on-site adherence support services, such as support groups (44% vs. 12%), formal classes (20% vs. 2%), and pillboxes (83% vs. 43%), and served a larger proportion of uninsured patients (41% vs. 4%) than non-funded facilities. Our analysis showed that the RW funded HIV care facilities offered more clinic, non-clinic, and adherence support services than non-RW funded facilities, indicating that the disparities in services were still related to CARE Act funding, controlling for private-public facility type.